Skip to main content

What's Next For CBD Food And Drink In 2019?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, holds a hemp pen before the start of a signing ceremony for H.R. 2, Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Photographer: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg© 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP

The New Year means new opportunity for CBD food and drink companies.

With industrial hemp legalized in the farm bill, CBD companies look toward increased sales and opportunities in 2019.

The farm bill, signed by President Trump right before the government shutdown, notably included hemp legalization, championed by Sen. Mitch McConnell.

States will create their own regulatory frameworks to be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA.) States that already produce hemp, such as Colorado and Kentucky, will plan significant expansions to meet demand.

The FDA has not yet approved hemp CBD supplements, food and cosmetics on a national scale, but has approved the pharmaceutical Epidiolex, an epilepsy treatment. The decision will likely happen within 18-24 months, according to a report from the Brightfield Group.

Still, CBD companies, including food and drink companies, are gearing up for a boom in sales in 2019. Some even have products for pets.

Colorado-based Weller makes CBD-infused coconut bites. Hemp legalization will allow the company to expand nationwide.Image courtesy of Weller

The founders of Weller, a CBD snack brand based in Colorado, think hemp legalization is a pivotal step for the CBD movement. Their product is currently sold at coffee shops, convenience stores and grocery stores, but legalization will allow nationwide expansion.

“We think that more and more retailers will start integrating CBD products into their stores to make them available to consumers who are eager to try, but have never been reliably educated, or able to find a trusted brand,” co-founder Matt Oscamou said in an email.

Though Coca-Cola’s CBD soda turned out to be a rumor, other existing food and drink companies are ready to capitalize on the trend.

In September, The Alkaline Water Company announced its launch of CBD-infused water. The Arizona-based company, which already sells its Alkaline88 water at Walmart, Kroger, Safeway-Albertsons and CVS, will launch three new versions of its signature product: hemp-derived CBD infused, vitamin-infused CBD and sparkling CBD Alkaline88 waters. The first batch of sparkling CBD water will be available in flavors like grapefruit, coconut, lemon lime, peach mango and raspberry.

But does the water taste like hemp?

“We have worked with a major flavor house and Infusion Biosciences, Inc., who together have masked any hemp flavor profile,” Ricky Wright, CEO of Alkaline Water Company, said in an email.

Incorporating CBD into existing rituals is an easy way to start using it in 2019. Try adding CBD to your coffee routine with products like hemp-infused coffee, water-soluble powder or simple syrup.

Luckily, legalization doesn’t just mean more products, but competition will likely drive down prices too. Also, more health information should become available, helping consumers make smart choices. The synthetic (and not as potent) products will be easier to weed out as more quality hemp becomes available.

A new year of less pain and anxiety can also be a tasty and refreshing one.

Original Article Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethkaiserman/2018/12/29/cbd-food-and-drink-2019/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New York City Adds More Exceptions To Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Ban

An ambitious campaign to decriminalize psychedelics in Washington, D.C., is one step closer to placing their measure on the November ballot with the formal submission of tens of thousands of voter signatures. Organizers have been scrambling for weeks to collect enough signatures from D.C. voters by Monday’s deadline amid historically difficult circumstances: a global pandemic, months of stay-at-home orders and protests over racism and police violence that filled the streets of the nation’s capital. But with the help of innovative signature-gathering techniques and allies flown in from across the country, advocates said they had successfully submitted upwards of 35,000 signatures—more than enough to qualify the initiative. If approved by voters, Initiative 81 would make enforcement of laws against plant- and fungus-based psychedelics among the “lowest law enforcement priorities” for the Metropolitan Police Department. It would not, however, legalize or reduce penalties for the subs
Post a Comment
Read more

Charlotte Figi The Girl Who Inspired A CBD Movement Has Died At Age 13

Charlotte had recently been hospitalized due to pneumonia, breathing problems and seizures. She was treated as a likely case of Covid-19, her mother, Paige Figi, said Wednesday, although she tested negative for the virus. “Charlotte is no longer suffering. She is seizure-free forever,” a family friend wrote on Paige Figi’s Facebook page, announcing Charlotte’s death. “Thank you so much for all of your love.” Charlotte became a symbol of the possibilities of CBD after CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta told her story in the documentary “Weed.” In the film, Charlotte was shown to be a playful child who was overcome by horrific seizures, which were quelled with Charlotte’s Web, a marijuana strain named in her honor. Charlotte had Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy which was not controlled by medication. The Stanley brothers, marijuana growers in Colorado, were crossbreeding a strain of marijuana high in CBD and low in THC, its psychoactive ingredient. After Charlo
Post a Comment
Read more

Virginia CBD Program Criticized As Multistate Medical Cannabis Operators Gain Edge

Seven companies are challenging a CBD licensing process in Virginia that resulted in multistate medical marijuana operators getting a majority of available licenses. The appeals called the process “wildly prejudicial.” Out of 51 applicants for five vertically integrated CBD and THC-A licenses, multistate operators received three, a situation that spurred the appeals, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Applicants filing the appeals complained the closed-meeting review process lacked fairness and transparency. One consultant to an applicant said the selections felt “predetermined.” The Virginia Board of Pharmacy reportedly sent information to the applicants in December explaining its selections, but some applicants weren’t satisfied. A board spokeswoman wrote in an email to the Pilot that the board “does not comment on pending litigation.” The five winning applicants , called “pharmaceutical processors,” have a year from winning the licenses to become operational. The multistate
Post a Comment
Read more