Standards for Hemp Seed products as per FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Fifth Amendment Regulations, 2021, have recently issued a notification prescribing the standards for 'Hemp Seeds and Seed Products,' in which hemp seed, hemp seed oil, and hemp seed flour shall be sold as food or used as an ingredient in a food for sale, subject to conforming to the prescribed standards.

The Indian Food Authority defines hemp seed as hulled, non-viable seeds collected from Cannabis sativa or other indigenous Cannabis species. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and rules made thereunder apply to the production of Cannabis species for the purpose of hemp seeds in India, and hemp seed flour refers to the solid product after the seeds have been ground to a powder with or without oil extraction. The flour made after pressing hemp seeds to extract oil must be clearly labelled as 'De-oiled hemp seed flour.'

The mandated requirements stipulate that total THC concentration in beverages manufactured from hemp seeds must not exceed 0.2 mg/kg, and that total THC content in any other food for sale containing hemp seed or seed derivatives must not exceed 5 mg/kg. The combined amount of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is known as total THC.

The notification further stipulates that the amount of cannabidiol (CBD) in any food for sale containing hemp seed or seed products must not exceed 75 mg/kg. Cannabis species contain cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive component. Furthermore, food containing hemp seed or seed products must not be labelled or otherwise offered for sale in a way that suggests the product has a psychoactive effect, either explicitly or implicitly.

The regulations stipulate that the label for food containing hemp seed or seed products for sale must not contain: (a) a nutrient content claim about cannabidiol, (b) a health claim about cannabidiol, (c) an image or representation of any part of the Cannabis plant (including the leaf of that plant) other than the seed, or (d) the words 'cannabis,"marijuana,' or words of similar meaning.

However, the word 'Hemp' may appear on the label of food containing hemp seed or seed products for sale. Furthermore, no one can manufacture, import, or sell any food product containing hemp seed or seed products designed for administration to infants under the age of 24 months, according to the legislation.

As per FSSAI regulation following parameter should be followed while preparing product from hemp.

2.16. Hemp seeds and seed products:

(1) Hemp seed refers to the hulled, non-viable seeds derived from Cannabis sativa/other indigenous Cannabis species for the purposes of these regulations. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and its provisions govern the growing of Cannabis species for the production of hemp seeds in India.

(2) Hemp seed, hemp seed oil, and hemp seed flour may be marketed as food or used as an ingredient in food if they meet the following requirements.

Hemp Seed:

Sl No.

Parameter

Requirement

1

Moisture, percent m/m, Max.

7.0

2

Protein (N x 6.25), percent m/m, Min.

30.0

3

Fat, per cent m/m, Min.

45.0

4

Ash, per cent m/m, Max.

6.0

5

Total THC4 , mg/kg, Max.

5.0

 

Oil extracted from hemp seeds

S. No.

Parameter

Requirement

1

Free fatty acid (expressed asOleic Acid), per cent m/m, Max.

0.5

2

Peroxide value, mEq/kg, Max

10.0

3

Total THC4 , mg/kg, Max

10.0

 

Hemp seed flour is a solid product made from hemp seeds that have been processed to a powder with or without oil extraction. 'Deoiled hemp seed flour' shall be clearly labelled flour manufactured after hemp seed has been pressed to extract oil.

Sl No

Parameter

Requirements

1

Total THC, mg/kg, Max

5.0

 

(iv) The total THC shall not exceed 0.2 mg/kg in any beverages made from hemp seeds.

(v) Any other food for sale that consists of hemp seed or seed products shall not exceed Total THC content of 5 mg/kg.

(3) The level of cannabidiol5 (CBD) in any food for sale consisting of hemp seed or seed products shall not exceed 75 mg/kg.

(4) Cannabinoids6 in any food for sale consisting of hemp seed or seed products shall only be present naturally in or on the seeds.

(5) The food for sale that consists of hemp seed or seed products shall not be labelled or otherwise presented for sale in a form which expressly or by implication suggests that the product has a psychoactive effect.

(6) The label for the food containing hemp seed or seed products for sale shall not include:

  1. a nutrient content claim about cannabidiol; or
  2. a health claim about cannabidiol; or
  3. an image or representation of any part of the Cannabis plant (including the leaf of that plant) other than the seed; or
  4. the words ‘cannabis’, ‘marijuana’ or words of similar meaning.

(7) The label for the food containing hemp seed or seed products for sale may include the word ‘Hemp’.

(8) No person shall manufacture, import or sale any food product containing hemp seed or seed products intended for administration to infant upto the age of 24 months.