UK Food Safety Agency Reduces Recommended Daily Dose of CBD Far Too High

The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reduced the recommended dose of cannabidiol (CBD), advising adults to consume a fraction of the previous daily limit due to liver and thyroid problems.

In an update published last week, the FSA and Food Standards Scotland recommended that healthy adults, weighing on average 70kg, limit their CBD intake to less than 10mg per day, or around four to five drops. of 5% CBD oil, which is half the recommended limit of CBD for medical use in South Africa, where it is regulated under the Medicines and Related Substances Act.

This turnaround comes after new evidence from the industry and updated tips of the agency’s independent scientific committee published on October 12, based on the risk assessment of foods and supplements in which the CBD ingredient is at least 98% pure. This only concerns oral ingestion, not products inhaled or applied to the skin.

CBD has been researched for potential medical applications, including the treatment of epilepsy and seizures, but the joint position paper of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes and the Committee on Toxicity states that the new foods containing CBD must now be assessed and authorized before they can be legally sold.

In a statement published on the authorities’ website, Professor Robin May, chief scientific adviser to the FSA, said: Our independent advisory committees have reviewed the safety assessments submitted by industry as part of their applications for new foods and we advise that healthy adults should take no more than 10 mg of CBD per day.

The more CBD you consume over your lifetime, the more likely you are to develop long-term side effects, like liver damage or thyroid problems. The level of risk is related to the amount you take, in the same way as it is for some other potentially harmful products such as alcoholic beverages.

We encourage consumers to check the CBD content on the product label to monitor their overall daily CBD consumption and determine if they wish to change the amount they consume based on this updated guidance.

FSA CEO Emily Miles said she has always advised consumers to be cautious about their consumption levels of these edible products.

We understand that this change in our guidance will have implications for products currently on the market that contain more than 10 mg of CBD per serving. We will work closely with industry to minimize risks and ensure consumers are not exposed to potentially harmful levels of CBD.

In South Africa, there are no limits on the CBD content of foodstuffs, in accordance with the Food, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, says Dr Harris Steinman of Food & Allergy Consulting & Testing Services .

Officially, you can’t add CBD to foods because it’s not a commonly ingested food, Steinman says. DM