UK food and drinks supplements can contain 10mg of marijuana or hemp-derived CBD, 5 times Europe’s daily limit – and the UK is fighting to keep more potent cannabis products on the market after any “reset” trade deal with the EU, complicating talks between the 2 sides. It believes it gives it a competitive advantage.
London is seeking to reduce barriers to trade in food, plants and animals with the bloc by signing a veterinary agreement that requires it to align with rules laid down by Brussels. But talks could fail because in several areas, including “novel foods” such as CBD products and genetically modified organisms, the UK is asking for exemptions from EU regulations to protect innovation made post-Brexit.
While EU member states have debated for years over loosening food regulation, the British Food Standards Agency’s “novel foods” categorisation has incentivised CBD and products from cell-cultivated meat to algae and insects. No CBD foods or drinks have yet been approved in the EU, the Commission said.
In February, the European Food Safety Authority set 2mg a day as the safe consumption level of CBD, and policymakers must take that into account when authorising products. “Most of the exemptions they are asking for do not fit with the conditions under the common understanding. The EU will always defend its standards,” said an EU diplomat.
