FSA Board supports action on CBD food products to protect consumers

Speaking at the FSA Board meeting on 8 December, Emily Miles laid out the FSA’s proportionate approach to regulating CBD, bringing the industry into compliance with the need for CBD to go through an FSA safety assessment, and the next steps in that process, including updating the CBD public list.

Currently, there are no CBD food products on the market that have been through the mandatory safety assessment and been authorised for sale. The CBD public list will be updated shortly and will be a public record of products where credible applications for market authorisation have been made to the FSA. Over the next few months, local authorities and retailers in England and Wales will be able to use the list to check the status of CBD food products and prioritise enforcement where necessary.

Emily Miles, CEO of the FSA said:

My message to the CBD industry, and to retailers, is that you need act responsibly when  marketing and selling these products. And my message to local authorities is that, as products are rejected from our market authorisation process, you may need to step up enforcement efforts. The FSA will support you in this process.”

Speaking on behalf of the Board, Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the FSA said:

“The FSA has a duty to protect consumers. I want to take this opportunity to ask people to think carefully before taking CBD and to follow the FSA’s advice about CBD products. The FSA will not hesitate to take action if evidence emerges that products are unsafe and consumers at great risk.”

The Board also discussed a paper on consumer insights, heard an update on EU transition and, the annual Science report for 2021 was also presented at the meeting.

The full agenda and Board papers are available on the FSA website, and you can watch a recording of the meeting on YouTube. 

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The next board meeting will take place in Birmingham on 9 March 2022.

Consumer Advice on CBD

Based on current evidence, the FSA advises a maximum level of 70mg per day for a healthy adult. For vulnerable consumers we recommend, on a precautionary basis, not taking CBD because the relevant safety assessments have not yet been completed.

The CEO’s full paper to Board can be accessed here.