Congress legalized hemp production in December as part of the 2018 Farm Act, allowing farmers to grow hemp and permitting the sale of CBD-infused topical products like creams and ointments.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forbids the use of cannabidiol or CBD in food and beverages as well as in dietary supplements without its approval. Needless to say, this hasn’t stopped businesses in some states and cities from enacting their own conflicting regulations dealing with CBD-infused food and drinks, notes CBS News.
Ben & Jerry’s is keeping its fingers crossed on the outcome of the FDA’s public hearing Friday on CBD. More than 100 speakers, medical professionals and advocates for the CBD industry had a chance to speak. Wendy May Real, MBA, the founder, and CEO of Pure Bloom CBD spoke with Yahoo Finance about the hearing.
“I was happy to see the FDA’s willingness to hear public comment and acknowledged the need for a more defined regulatory framework. But, [the FDA] was unable to provide any immediate timeline or path forward for this framework,” she said.
Ben & Jerry’s submitted a comment to support the legalization, an “important step” in the process of legalizing CBD, said FDA Commissioner, Dr. Ned Sharpless. “We hope that this meeting, and the comments submitted to our public docket, will help us as we try to approach this issue in an informed way,” he added on Twitter.
Chasing a trend is not enough
CBD-infused foods and beverages are going to be a very big deal in the near future. And this is a trending issue because CBD derived from hemp does not get users “high.” Ben & Jerry’s is open to bringing CBD-infused ice cream to your freezer as soon as it’s legalized at the federal level.
“We’re doing this for our fans,” said Ben & Jerry’s CEO Matthew McCarthy., in a statement. “We’ve listened and brought them everything from Non-Dairy indulgences to on-the-go portions with our Pint Slices. We aspire to love our fans more than they love us and we want to give them what they’re looking for in a Ben & Jerry’s way.”
Because Ben & Jerry’s has embraced sustainability and environmental consciousness, they intend to continue the practice with their CBD-infused ice cream. They plan on using CBD from their home state of Vermont.
“After all, values-led sourcing is an important part of our process when we churn up new ice cream innovations. By using high-quality, sustainably-sourced ingredients, we support our linked prosperity model, ensuring that everyone involved with making our flavors — from the cocoa farmers to the Scoop Shop scoopers — is positively impacted,” the company says.
