Updated consumer advice for Cannabidiol (CBD) food products

You may be aware of CBD food products available on the market in Great Britain (GB). The novel food status of CBD food products was confirmed in January 2019 and all CBD food products must undergo a pre-market safety assessment and receive authorisation from Ministers under the novel food regulations before they can be sold legally in GB. No CBD food products have yet received authorisation.

Since Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) took over responsibility for assessing the safety of novel foods in GB from the EU in January 2021, they have been working through industry applications and bringing the market into line with current regulations. FSS and the FSA initially issued consumer advice in February 2020.

Based on the evidence available, Food Standards Scotland are now recommending healthy adults should limit their consumption to 10mg of CBD from food per day. The more CBD you consume over your lifetime, the more likely you are to develop long-term adverse effects, like liver damage or thyroid issues. A comparison would be alcohol consumption – the level of risk is related to intake level.

You can find more information on the new consumer advice here. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at LabellingStandardsandRegulatedProducts@fss.scot