United Kingdom extends CBD food deadline after complaints

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British food regulators hit the pause button on plans to winnow edible CBD products that can be sold in the United Kingdom.

The delay from the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) comes after many in the CBD industry complained about the application process, Hemp Today reported.

The new deadline to apply for government authorization to sell edible CBD products in England and Wales is now May 26.

The FSA came under fire last month for winnowing the list of CBD products under consideration to 3,536 products from 374 companies. Some called the process arbitrary.

FSA policy director Rebecca Sudworth told Hemp Today the agency is “making one final call for evidence from businesses to link their products to credible applications.”

In 2019, European Union regulators determined that CBD needed premarket authorization because the ingredient wasn’t commonly eaten in Europe before 1997.

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The “novel foods” designation meant that safety studies and toxicology data must be approved before CBD products may be sold to consumers.

Despite that pronouncement, CBD brands have proliferated in stores and on retail websites in Europe and around the world.