U.S. Representatives Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Regulate CBD in Food & Beverages

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This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s January 2022 Industry Newsletter

By Steve Hoffman

U.S. Representatives Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Angie Craig (D-MN) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) on December 2 introduced the CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, the bipartisan bill would call for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create a regulatory and enforcement structure for hemp-derived cannabinoids such as CBD as an ingredient in food and beverage products, and to provide recommendations on maximum daily usage and provide packaging and serving guidelines.

Previous federal legislation has been proposed to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement and functional food ingredient, including H.R. 841, introduced in February 2021 in the U.S. House of Representatives, and S. 1698, introduced in May 2021 in the U.S. Senate, reported Let’s Talk Hemp. “CBD products are exploding in popularity, but the lack of federal regulation surrounding them has put consumers at risk and left businesses looking for clarity,” lead sponsor of the new bill, Rep. Rice, said in a press release. 

“The hemp industry is grateful to Reps. Kathleen Rice, Morgan Griffith, Angie Craig and Dan Crenshaw for their introduction of The CBD Product Safety and Standardization Act. We strongly support requiring the FDA to regulate hemp extracts like CBD as food and beverage ingredients, U.S. Hemp Roundtable General Counsel Jonathan Miller said in a statement. “We look forward to working with the bill sponsors to ensure that this legislation provides the broadest range of protections for hemp extract products for human and animal consumption, and to serve as a strong complement to H.R. 841, introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader and supported by 35 co-sponsors, which would require FDA to regulate CBD in dietary supplements,” Miller said.

CBD: Consumers Crave Science, Information

This article originally appeared on https://www.letstalkhemp.com/

By Steven Hoffman

Based on a comprehensive consumer survey published in 2020 of 4,000 U.S. consumers plus another 1,000 consumers in Canada, healthy lifestyles research firm Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) found that people are eager and interested in exploring the medicinal value of CBD. 

According to NMI’s 2020 North American Cannabis Market Opportunities and Challenges Report, 18% of the U.S. adult population (46 million consumers) say they have personally used CBD products in the past six months.

“Consumers don’t know a lot and they want to learn more,” said Diane Ray, NMI’s Vice President of Strategic Innovation. “Right now, they’re getting information from articles online and family and friends. It doesn’t appear that a lot of authoritative sources are connecting with consumers to provide them with reliable information. It could also be that resistance from social media companies may be a factor in limiting information,” Ray observed.

“There’s an underlying desire to get healthier. People want to believe in the promise of CBD and they want to know how to tap into its benefits. However, the data indicates the industry isn’t educating enough. We see an influx of people experimenting and dabbling with CBD products – from dietary supplements and functional food and beverage to personal care – but that could flatten unless science comes into play more. The market is craving reliable science,” Ray said.

While an older generation in their 60s and 70s are turning to CBD products for pain management – in particular, CBD gummies are number one in terms of consumer choice, according to NMI data – Ray noted that a younger generation, including Millennials and the “i-gen” (the 18-25 age group) are among the most stressed, and they turn to CBD products for anxiety and relaxation.

“Consumers are slowly navigating the puzzle of dosage, quality, etc., to find out what products work for them and fit in their budget,” Ray said. “In the long term, they want to get it where they get everything else, but in the near term, they are looking for education and expertise, and for that they are going to specialty stores, including dedicated CBD stores, dispensaries, drugstores, the internet and natural food stores,” Ray noted.

Natural Marketing Institute identifies five consumer segments that are grouped along the lines of differentiated health attitudes, behavior and psychographics. They include:

Well Beings® – 26%
• Most health pro-active 
• Leaders & influencers 
• Most multi-cultural 

Food Actives®  – 14%
• Mainstream healthy 
• Basics & balance 

Magic Bullets® – 20%
•  No healthy lifestyle commitment  
•  Managers vs. preventative 

Fence Sitters®  – 23%
• ‘Wannabe’ healthy 
• Stressed, want control 
• Multi-cultural segment

Eat, Drink & Be Merrys®  – 17%
• Least health active 
• Taste over health

For more information on the 2020 USA/Canada Whole Cannabis/Whole Health study, visit here.