Colorado has convened a commission to formulate an agricultural plan for the cultivation of industrial hemp in the state. A longtime supplement and natural foods industry consultant is among the participants.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has put further pressure on FDA with a letter requesting a formal announcement of enforcement discretion on the CBD question while a more permanent regulatory solution is hashed out.
California-based Green Gorilla has acquired two farms (through its subsidiary Gorilla FarmCo), totaling 1,510 acres of organic farmland, to expand its vertically integrated 'seed to shelf' line of CBD products.
An amendment advocated by the Natural Products Association that would earmark funds for CBD regulation was including in the final version of the 2019 appropriations bill passed by the US House of Representatives.
Supplementation with a hemp-derived, CBD-rich extract for six weeks led to significant improvements in sleep and reductions in appetite, according to results of a randomized clinical trial in healthy adults.
CBD and other cannabinoids produced via fermentation can deliver the purity and reliability that the market is looking for at a lower price, claims Amyris, which is aiming to introduce its first products next year following a partnership with a newly...
Natural products online marketplace Thrive Market has temporarily halted sales of hemp-derived CBD products after its merchant processor demanded it cease selling them amid uncertainty over their legal status, but says it is in conversations with a new...
CBD and THC are not the only buzz-worthy ingredients derived from hemp, according to Chad Rosen, founder of Victory Hemp Foods, who touts the plant’s seeds, which are packed with high quality protein and healthy fats, as an equally important “profit center”...
The CBD market is exploding with the ingredient popping up in everything from bars to beverages to confections and everything in between – driving up sales to more than $200 million in 2018 by conservative estimates and an expected $3.8 billion by 2025,...
Plant-based meat, dairy and egg alternatives got top billing at the IFT annual meeting and expo in New Orleans this year, while hemp-derived CBD also made its debut, regulatory uncertainty notwithstanding... Check out part 1 of our gallery of highlights...
The United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Phoenix-based Hemp Industries Association (HIA). The agreement is an effort to advance hemp extract product research, safety, identity and quality standards.
Layn Corp – best known for its stevia, monk fruit, and botanical ingredients - is making a significant bet on hemp-derived CBD, announcing plans to invest around $60m to build a US facility capable of processing a minimum of 5,000 tons of hemp biomass...
While not everyone was on the same page about the legal path forward for hemp-derived CBD during Friday’s marathon FDA hearing, multiple speakers made clear that the current situation is untenable, with one predicting a wave of lawsuits, and others demanding...
“If we do not succeed in working together to reassure the card brands that they can safely support our industry, then we predict a significant decrease in CBD sales within the next few months,” the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) has warned.
A study published recently has found a level of liver toxicity for CBD, putting up a big caveat to the notion within the hemp/CBD world that its products have nothing in the way of safety concerns.
Beverages under the Zola and Caliva brands featuring hemp-derived CBD will start to hit the US market around August or September, says Zola founder Chris Cuvelier, who recently took the helm at a new beverage division at Caliva after the San Jose-based...
Neptune Wellness Solutions has moved into the CBD field in the United States in a big way with the acquisition of North Carolina hemp products producer SugarLeaf Labs.
We’re no longer in the ‘Wild West’ when it comes to hemp-derived CBD, but buyers can still get burned if they don’t do their homework, says Colorado-based BBB Labs, which has launched a quality assurance seal for its hemp extracts to reassure partners...
While the rapid growth of the plant-based market in the US initially may have been fueled by demand for alternatives to animal-protein and -dairy, the trend is quickly evolving as consumers’ tastes become more sophisticated and they begin to embrace plants...
Hemp extract processor, Socati Corp.'s acquisition of Blue Marble Biomaterials, a global manufacturer of specialty compounds for consumer goods, will usher in mass scale production and quality control of in-demand broad spectrum hemp extract (which...
Symrise and The Green Organic Dutchman (TGOD) are expanding their beverage innovation capabilities with an investment in Califormulations, a US beverage innovation company that works with a number of beverage companies and brands in the US market.
Fundamental questions of identity and intended use will have to be answered before CBD can take center stage as a legal dietary ingredient. The upcoming meeting with FDA will likely provide a start, but hopes that all issues will be quickly solved seem...
While several firms are exploring using genetically engineered yeast to biosynthesize cannabinoids using a fermentation process (rather than extracting them from cannabis plants), German company Farmako claims a new approach utilizing bacteria gives it...
The FDA recently reiterated that it’s unlawful to introduce foods or supplements containing added CBD into interstate commerce, but also said enforcement action would focus on brands making "egregious" claims, providing some comfort to firms...
Defining what kombucha is – and just as importantly, what it isn’t – is mission critical if industry pioneers are to preserve the integrity of the category as more brands enter the segment, argues GT Dave, founder of market leader GT’s Living Foods.
CBD – the hottest (though still-not-legal) ingredient in town – is coming to a burger chain near you… well, that’s if you live near Denver, Colorado, where Carl’s Jr will be adding cannabidiol to the menu to celebrate National Weed Day.
The hemp/CBD industry is being threatened by so-called synthetic cannabinoids that are flooding the market, attendees at a recent botanicals conference were told.
While some natural products brands are only interested in CBD from hemp or marijuana plants, the market for cannabinoids produced via microbial fermentation is potentially huge, as the pesticide-free process delivers higher yields and consistent purity...
FDA has reiterated its enforcment stance on CBD and hemp products, has updated a Q&A document on the subject and has specified what kind of information it is seeking in the runup to a public meeting on the subject in May, all as part of documents...
FDA has sent three companies marketing CBD products warning letters over disease claims. The warnings are the first issued under FDA’s de facto ‘enforcement discretion’ policy, which will be discussed at a meeting on CBD set for the end of May.
Regulatory hurdles notwithstanding, investors and judges at Rabobank’s FoodBytes! event in San Francisco last week were fairly bullish about hemp-derived CBD (cannabidiol), and predicted that while the market has moved ahead of the science, this will...
60-second interview: Mike Mauzé, founding partner, VMG Partners
If you walk into someone by mistake as you push through the crowds at the Natural Products Expo West show these days, you are just as likely to find yourself apologizing to an investor as a retail buyer searching for hot new brands. But what does all...
Weller, a Boulder-based snack and beverage company, is not tip-toeing around using the word 'CBD' on its packaging as it launches a line of sparkling waters featuring 25mg cannabidiol (from full spectrum hemp extract).
Fermentation: A pathway to 'superior cannabinoids at significantly reduced cost'?
CBD (cannabidiol) produced via fermentation could hit the market early next year following a partnership between synthetic biology expert Amyris, and LAVVAN, Inc., a newly-formed company committed to “providing the market with superior cannabinoids at...
Growpacker Inc., a contract manufacturer of THC- and CBD-infused edibles and beverages based in Canada with a presence in the US market, has launched a brand incubator and accelerator program designed to fast-track CBD and THC brands sold in California.
'What we're wrestling with is whether CBD is an ingredient play, or something huge brands can be built around'
The fact that CBD is not a legal ingredient in foods and supplements - at least not yet - did not deter scores of exhibitors at Expo West, who added it to everything from soda to protein bars (absent any claims), with some opting for isolates, but most...
The advocates for the reformation of the regulation of hemp derivatives in nutritional products were clinging to the hope that the abrupt resignation of FDA Commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb will not mean the initiative will be stillborn.
Stakeholders from the dietary supplements and food industries have been reacting to the resignation of Scott Gottlieb, MD, with many pushing for the Agency to follow through on the key initiatives started during his leadership.
US sales of beverages infused with hemp-derived CBD are predicted to reach $600m in 2019, and approach $1bn in 2020, with water accounting for two thirds of the market, predict analysts at Cowen, which believes that “US CBD can conservatively generate...
FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the agency is planning a public meeting in April to initiate a rule making procedure on CBD. The goal is to create “an appropriately efficient and predictable regulatory framework for regulating CBD products,”...
Canadian cannabis specialist Tilray is to buy Manitoba Harvest – the world’s largest hemp food manufacturer - from Compass Group and other shareholders in a deal that could be worth up to C$419m (US$317m).*
While some retailers are more cautious than others about using the term 'CBD,' many leading food and drugstore chains are actively exploring building dedicated segments in store devoted to hemp/CBD following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill,...
What is piquing the interest of food & beverage investors as we approach Expo West? Not surprisingly, CBD is high on the list, along with brands disrupting the kids’ food category, according to New York based venture fund AccelFoods.
Oregon-based Socati has raised $33m in a funding round (following $9m in seed funding) to scale its proprietary separation and extraction technology that ensures a 0.0% level of THC in its full (also referred to as 'broad') spectrum hemp extract.
CBD (cannabidiol) isolates are off the menu for food, beverage and supplement companies until the FDA lays out some kind of regulatory pathway. But are ‘broad spectrum’ hemp extracts legal in all 50 states following the passage of the Farm Bill? And if...
Launching online and in Erewhon and Lazy Acres stores in Los Angeles this month, Lumen hemp elixir is a HPP (high pressure processed) superfood shot with a 60-day shelf life featuring cold pressed hemp juice and on-trend ingredients such as ashwagandha...