FSA finalises CBD public list with nearly 12000 products

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has on Thursday updated the cannabinoid (CBD) public list, adding almost 6,000 more CBD products to the list.

Nearly 12,000 products are now on the list. The agency added that the list is now closed and further requests to have products put on the public list or evidence sent are no longer being accepted.

The UK has become the first country in the world to regulate the market for safe, orally consumed legal cannabis extracts, following the release on 31 March of the FSA’s public list of CBD products permitted for sale to consumers.

With the publication of the list – a key stage on the path to full authorisation, expected next year – only those CBD products featured on the list can now stay on the market, in line with the UK’s Novel Food requirements. Products not included must now be removed from shelves.

“This has been a long and complex process and we are grateful for the help and cooperation of the CBD industry as we reach this important milestone on the path to bringing CBD products into compliance and protecting consumers. The only changes we envisage being made to the list now will be to reflect the status of products as we move to authorisation, and any routine corrections,” Rebecca Sudworth, director of policy at the FSA, said.

“We have seen the list, which contains almost 12,000 products, grow considerably since March when we first published it. The publication of the initial list prompted a number of companies to come forward with new evidence linking large numbers of individual products to existing applications, and so we made a final call for evidence to support businesses in achieving compliance for their products.

“We think it is important we get this right, and it is encouraging that so many companies want to get their CBD products on the path to authorisation.”

Businesses can continue to apply for authorisation of CBD food products. However, new applications will not be eligible for the public list and should not be put on sale until they have been authorised.

CBD products are ‘novel’ and therefore need to be assessed by the FSA for safety before being placed on the market. Currently, no CBD products have been authorised for sale in the UK. The CBD public list shows which products have a credible application for authorisation with the FSA.