UK extends deadlines for CBD Novel Food filings

The United Kingdom had demanded that by March 31, All ingestible products containing CBD have received Novel Food certification from the Food Standard Agency (FSA), the UK's food safety agency. In view of the red tape involved deadline has raised, the Kingdom has eased the constraint and now requires companies to have submitted their application by March 31, rather than for the application to be validated.

«We received a large number of applications as the deadline approaches, explains Emily Miles, head of the FSA. This means that, in order to do things properly, we are adapting the criteria for products that can remain on sale from April 1.»

Manufacturers are rubbing their hands. With this new deadline, more people will be able to share the cake. «If you haven't sent in your application because you ran out of time to have your application validated by March 31, you should send in your application as soon as possible. We would be delighted to help companies looking to take advantage of this opportunity.« says the Cannabinoid Industry Association, a trade association.

Stamp required to sell in the UK

The dossier submitted to the Food Standards Agency is essential. «Applying to novel food is the the only way to keep products on sale in the UK« recalls the FSA boss. But the bureaucratic delays were clearly not enough.

Before approval is granted, a file submitted undergoes an eight-day administrative period, before being examined for a month. According to calculations by the British website Business Cann, by the end of February, the FSA had received over 600 requests. It was therefore impossible for all these companies to have their files validated before March 31.

The pressure was on the FSA to extend the acceptance deadlines. It has to be said that the CBD market in the UK is flourishing. With a weight of 400 million pounds, rising to one billion by 2025, the country is Europe's leading consumer of cannabidiol.