
When a label is not your friend
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We don't sell CBD, and in another post we'll tell you why (it's about regulatory chaos), but in CBD there is a problem emblematic of all over-the-counter selling in the United States.
A study published in ‘Science of the Total Environment’ (Gardener, et al., 851(1), 10 December 2022, 158110) has shown that the contents of nearly 60% of CBD products in America do not match their package labeling. Worryingly, some products surveyed also showed the presence of unlabeled contaminants, some of them potentially harmful.
Only 42% of the samples contained the CBD percentage stated, and 58% were mislabeled outright. Nearly half contained less than 90% of what was claimed, and 18% contained over twice as much. Traces were found in edible products, furthermore, of lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and phthalates.
The Louisiana Department of Public Health has since produced an emergency rule governing the labeling, testing, and registration requirements for consumable hemp products.Limits are imposed for solvents, pesticides, microbials, and heavy metals, and for THC content. New labeling language is mandated as well, and packaging must state the size and number of servings within the package and provide a measuring device for determining serving size.
More recently, the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services as well issued a finalized set of regulations for testing and labeling requirements for industrial hemp extracts intended for human consumption and foods. Topical products remain outside the scope of this regulation. Contaminant limits for microbiological, mycotoxins, and heavy metals and pesticide chemical residue tolerances must be the same as those allowed for cannabis products produced by pharmaceutical processors under existing legislation.
For obvious reasons, regulation and oversight are going to be even more chaotic over the next few years.