Five Companies Pass UK’s Strict Novel Foods CBD Safety Assessment
The United Kingdom (UK) legally defines a Novel Food as food that humans have not consumed to a significant degree before May 15, 1997. These foods must pass safety and risk assessments to be authorized by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for sale in the country. The FSA is in the process of assessing several major companies’ products, and some have made it to the final stage. Since early 2025, five new applications have passed the FSA and FSS (Food Standard Scotland) assessments, compared to only a few in 2024. At the same time, many current products are being removed from the public list.
In February 2025, cbdMD and other companies received safety approvals, allowing them to proceed to the risk management stage. The FSA regulations set the acceptable daily intake (ADI) limit for CBD as not more than 10 mg, which the CBD industry considers arbitrary and restrictive. This limit was established in 2023. The previous ADI limit was 70 mg, so this was a significant change. The Cannabis Trades Association has been trying to get the limit changed on the premise that the current ADI ignores product differences. Applications have been submitted requesting an ADI of up to 35 mg, but only cbdMD’s 24 mg request was formally rejected.
All approved applications adhere to the 10 mg CBD limit, a clear indication that the FSA is enforcing the regulation with strict adherence. Objections to the restrictive limit address the fact that the 10 mg cap is an advisory guidance and not a legal requirement, and it applies to all CBD products, even though there are significant differences between distillates, isolates and full spectrum extracts. This underscores the gravity of the FSA’s regulations and their impact on the industry.
The FSA has deleted many companies and their products (102) from the public list. Some were removed voluntarily, and some were removed without explanation of why they were removed. This means that any products already being sold must be removed from the market.
The CBD industry in the UK is experiencing many of the same issues the U.S. CBD industry is working through, like shifting state government regulations concerning the amount of CBD allowed in products. Another similarity between the two countries is that regulations are not the same as law, yet government agency regulations can impose limits not intended by the law. It would seem the concerns about CBD’s safety seem to be offshoots of the actual issue, which is THC, even though CBD is not psychoactive. There is a large body of scientific evidence now that shows CBD is safe to consume.
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