Le Champ d’en Face aims to bring hemp back into the public discourse

In response to stricter regulations targeting CBD-based food products, a new initiative led by French producers aims to take the fight to the public arena. Called Le Champ d’en Face, this cross-union collective of French hemp farmers aims to support the industry by combining political advocacy, civic engagement, and… gastronomy.

Developed and hosted by L’Herbe en France, a marketplace aimed at bringing together French CBD hemp producers, the platform is positioned as a tool available to the entire industry.

“We’re making our tools available to the industry because no one else is doing it,” explain the founders, who are themselves members of the collective.

Inspiration from Parmentier

The project’s name and approach draw direct inspiration from a famous episode in French history. In the 18th century, the agronomist and pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier set out to restore the potato’s reputation, as it was widely rejected at the time and surrounded by negative beliefs.

To convince the elite of its merits, Parmentier staged numerous public demonstrations and hosted dinners attended by scientists, influential figures, and political leaders. With the support of Louis XVI, he gradually succeeded in transforming the image of a tuber once considered dangerous into a staple of French cuisine today.

For the founders of Champ d’en Face, the parallel with hemp is clear. Like the potato in its day, hemp today suffers from a reputation that is largely disconnected from the reality of its uses in food and agriculture.

"Tables du Chanvre" locations throughout France

The collective’s most original initiative involves organizing dinners called “À la Table du Chanvre”.

The idea is simple: to bring together producers, chefs, journalists, lawyers, scientists, local elected officials, government representatives, and business leaders around the same table to explore the culinary uses of hemp.

Leaves, flowers, or extracts can be incorporated into menus specially designed for the occasion.

The collective hopes to expand these events to several French departments and is already inviting interested producers to organize their own regional editions, with guidance and support from Champ d’en Face.

“One more table means one more region in the press,” the platform sums up.

In its appeal, Le Champ d’en Face states that it welcomes elected officials from across the political spectrum, while maintaining a nonpartisan stance.

A response to the DGAL's inspection plan

Beyond the event itself, the collective’s formation comes at a particularly tense time for the industry.

Since mid-May 2026, the General Direction for Food (DGAL) has been implementing a stricter inspection plan targeting food products containing CBD. Producers are criticizing what they see as a strict interpretation of the European Novel Food Regulation, which they say threatens a significant portion of France’s wellness hemp industry.

Le Champ d’en Face has thus published an op-ed on its website entitled “Banning herbal tea has never stopped a drug dealer”. The report argues that the authorities are missing the mark by focusing their efforts on legal agricultural products rather than on synthetic cannabinoids or illicit markets.

In particular, the group is calling for the suspension of the 2026 regulatory plan, a clear distinction between natural agricultural products and synthetic cannabinoids, and the launch of a national consultation with producers.

To support this campaign, the platform also invites citizens to sign an open letter, contact their representatives directly, and participate in various awareness-raising activities.

Just as Parmentier did more than two centuries ago, French hemp farmers now hope that a shift in perception will come through both education and experience. Their goal is to eventually make edible hemp what the potato has become: a product that is fully accepted in French society.