FDA Wants $5 Million Extra in 2021 Budget to Regulate CBD Products
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Originally Appeared in Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, March 2020
By Steven Hoffman
Even though the production and sale of all products derived from hemp was made legal in the United States under the 2018 Farm Bill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November questioned the safety of hemp-derived CBD in dietary supplements and food and beverages, causing disruption and uncertainty in the booming market for CBD and hemp extract products. Additionally, the Trump administration in a 2021 budget plan announced in February it is asking for an additional $5 million in the next fiscal year for FDA to regulate cannabis and its derivatives, including CBD, Hemp Industry Daily reported.
The request for additional funding to regulate hemp-derived CBD products comes shortly after legislation was introduced in January in the U.S. Congress to require FDA regulators to treat hemp-derived CBD as dietary supplements, Hemp Industry Daily reported.
FDA said the extra $5 million requested would help advance regulation of products containing CBD while allowing the agency to enforce the law against companies making unsubstantiated medical claims about the products, according to Hemp Industry Daily. “New funding will enable FDA to better regulate the usage of cannabis-derived substances, such as cannabidiol (CBD), in FDA-regulated products such as dietary supplements and when used as unapproved food additives, FDA said in its budget proposal. “The initiative will support regulatory activities, including developing policy, and continue to perform its existing regulatory responsibilities including review of product applications, inspections, enforcement and targeted research,” the agency said.
Included among the activities that would be supported under FDA's FY2021 budget request would be inspections of facilities manufacturing cannabis-derived products, additional research and funds for processing product-review applications, Natural Products Insider reported. The additional $5 million would be allocated as follows: $2 million for the Office of Regulatory Affairs; $500,000 for the Center for Veterinary Medicine; $2 million to the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; and $500,000 for FDA headquarters.
Dietary supplement industry trade associations were cautiously supportive of the budget request. “This is a step in the right direction and is an indication that the agency has the resources to regulate the industry. However, this does not go far enough to specifically address the issue of setting safe level of daily consumption for CBD products. Setting a safe level of consumption for CBD products is the best way to move forward with this promising new product while protecting consumers,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA).
NPA supports legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would appropriate $100,000 for the FDA to perform a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) and set a safe level of CBD for consumers to use each day. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, which allows a natural product to contain a level of a drug ingredient that the FDA has determined to be safe, NPA said in a statement. According to the World Health Organization, CBD oil is generally recognized as safe.
USDA Hemp Program Director William Richmond, CO Governor Jared Polis, Presence Marketing’s Tracy Miedema Among Headliners at NoCo Hemp Expo, March 26-28
Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, March 2020
By Steven Hoffman
Move over Colorado Governor Jared Polis, USDA Hemp Program Director William Richmond, former NFL player Matt Wilhelm, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg and other confirmed speakers – Presence Marketing’s very own VP of Innovation and Brand Development, Tracy Miedema, will be among the headliners presenting at the upcoming NoCo Hemp Expo, March 26-28, 2020, at the National Western Complex in Denver, CO. Now in its seventh year, NoCo Hemp Expo is the world’s largest trade show, conference and gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof. This year’s event is expected to attract nearly 20,000 visitors, say show organizers.
Initial confirmed speakers at the 2020 NoCo Hemp Expo include business leaders in the hemp and natural foods space, investors, legal and policy experts, and elite athletes, including a special appearance from celebrity soccer star Rachael Rapinoe. Plus, Alyssa Boston, Miss Universe Canada 2019, a prominent hemp advocate, will provide insight into the health and wellness benefits of hemp at the conference. Top government officials, including Colorado Governor Jared Polis, William Richmond, USDA’s Chief of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Program, and Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, will also be on hand to discuss recent rules and regulations regarding hemp. In addition, Arran Stevens, Cofounder and Co-CEO of organic and hemp food trailblazer Nature’s Path Foods, will discuss innovation in consumer products, hemp and organic agriculture, and Stephanie Karba, Environmental Researcher with Patagonia, will discuss the company’s commitment to hemp fiber and fashion.
Sharing retail and natural products industry expertise, Tracy Miedema will lead a panel on The State of Hemp and CBD Retailing on Friday, March 27, as part of NoCo Hemp Expo’s annual Business Conference for hemp industry professionals and business leaders. For more information, visit www.nocohempexpo.com.
Organic Acreage and Sales Continue to Grow Worldwide
Photo: FIBL
Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, March 2020
By Steven Hoffman
Based on data collected from 186 countries, 2018 was another record year for organic agriculture. Organic farmland increased worldwide in 2018 by 2.0 million hectares (4.9 million acres), according to the 21st annual survey, The World of Organic Agriculture, conducted by the Swiss-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in partnership with IFOAM Organics International and released in February 2020.
While this represents a modest increase of 2.9%, growth in global acreage has been steady for a number of years. Globally, 1.5% of all farmland is estimated to be organic. However, according to FiBL’s 2020 report, many countries have far higher shares of organic – in 16 countries, 10% or more of all agricultural land is reported to be organic.
Globally, a total of 71.5 million hectares (177 million acres) were organically managed in 2018. Australia recorded the largest organic agricultural area (35.7 million hectares, or 88.2 acres), followed by Argentina (3.6 million hectares or 8.9 acres) and China (3.1 million hectares or 7.7 million acres). North America, including Canada, Mexico and the U.S., reported 3.3 million hectares or 8.2 million acres of organic agricultural land in 2018.
Because of Australia, FiBL reports, half of all global organic agricultural land is in Oceania. Europe has the second largest area, followed by Latin America. Also, in 2018, 2.8 million organic producers were reported worldwide, with India continuing to be the country with the highest number of producers (1.15 million).
Market research firm Ecovia Intelligence, working with FiBL, estimates that the global market for organic food was more than $100 billion US. The U.S. leads the market with sales of $44 billion US in 2018, followed by Germany ($11.8 billion US) and France ($9.9 billion US).
According to the World of Organic Agriculture study, a number of major markets continued to post double-digit growth in 2018, and the organic market in France grew by more than 15%. Danish and Swiss consumers spent the most on organic food in 2018 (312 euros or $339 US per capita). Also, Denmark reported the highest market share, with organic sales capturing 11.5% of the country’s total food market.
In related news, market research firm Mercaris reports that U.S. farmers harvested nearly 3.3 million acres of certified organic field crops in 2019, beating previous estimates for every region of the country. Helping to offset a rainy growing season, the harvest was driven by 14% more organic field crop operations, reported New Hope Network. Among the report’s highlights: the U.S. organic hay and alfalfa harvest was up 8% in 2019, with 11% more certified organic farms; 13% more certified organic operations harvested corn in 2019, offsetting a decline in the number of acres harvested per operation; the U.S. certified organic soybean harvest increased 11% in 2019; and acres of harvested organic wheat grew 16% year over year as a result of expansion in the High Plains region, New Hope Network reports.
“Despite what can be fairly described as the most difficult growing season in more than a decade, 2019 was a remarkable year for organic production,” Ryan Koory, Director of Economics at Mercaris, told New Hope Network. “The addition of new organic growers suggests that 2020 could see organic production reach new record highs,” he added.
Patagonia Takes Lead in Focus on Regenerative Agriculture, Climate Change
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman
“We’re losing the planet. We really are,” Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard recently told Emily Stifler Wolfe, a reporter at Explore Big Sky. “And I’m not going to let it go without fighting, so we have to try harder.” Patagonia in 2012 launched its Provisions division that sells organic grains, responsibly caught salmon and other items to help create a market for climate-friendly products. In 2018, it became a charter member of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, and in 2020 the company is introducing its Road to Regenerative line of organic cotton clothing. Made of “100% Regenerative Organic Certification Pilot Cotton from farms working to rehabilitate soil, respect animal welfare and improve the lives of farmers” the new tee shirts also are Fair Trade Certified sewn, says the company. Patagonia, with a new mission statement, “We’re in business to save our home planet,” intends to go “carbon neutral and non-extractive by 2025,” reports Explore Big Sky, and it plans to boost support for environmental conservation and go deeper into politics. The company in December 2017 sued the Trump administration for rescinding a million acres of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument, and it backed Montana’s Democratic Senator Jon Tester – an organic farmer – in his 2018 reelection. To learn more about regenerative organic agriculture and food and climate, attend Climate Day at Natural Products Expo West, Tuesday, March 5, 2020, and an update from the Regenerative Organic Alliance at Expo West on Friday, March 8.
European Researchers Concerned About High Levels of Glyphosate in Foods
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman
“The toxic pesticide glyphosate should not be in the food chain,” researcher Thomas Bohn of the Institute of Marine Research in Tromso, Norway, told FoodNavigator in January 2020. His concern, along with that of other researchers in Norway and the U.K., is that glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the world due to its use on GMO soybeans, resulting, he says in higher levels of glyphosate residues in plants and food products. According to research published in Foods in late 2019, farmers in Argentina and Brazil from 1996 to 2014 have increased application of glyphosate in their fields “more than twice as high as the recommended doses used in most field trials.” Also, reports FoodNavigator, research has shown that late-season spraying of glyphosate – used as a desiccant and harvest aid in GMO and non-GMO soybeans – increases glyphosate residues in harvested soybeans by a factor of 10 or more. “These factors increase adsorption of the herbicide and augment residue levels in the harvested beans,” the researchers wrote. According to Bohn, the current risk assessment system only received data from field trials with soybeans that were sprayed with “much lower” doses compared to “contemporary commercial farms,” reports FoodNavigator. “All possible measures should be taken to reduce consumption of glyphosate, like avoidance of desiccation, reduced used by farmers, etc. Glyphosate should not be in the food chain,” Bohn told FoodNavigator. According to a CNN report, glyphosate increased the cancer risk of those exposed to it by 41%, according to a peer-reviewed study published in 2019.
Bring Your Idea to Life: Iovate Ventures Offers Strategic Partnership Opportunities for Early-Stage Nutritional and Functional Products Brands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bring Your Idea to Life: Iovate Ventures Offers Strategic Partnership Opportunities for Early-Stage Nutritional and Functional Products Brands
Leading Active Nutrition and Wellness Company Invites Like-Minded, Impact-Driven Brands to Join the Conversation at Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim, California
Expo West Breakfast Meet & Greet
Iovate Ventures Entrepreneurs
March 5th, 2020, 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Hilton Anaheim, Room #: Palos Verdes A, 777 West Convention Way, Anaheim, CA
Oakville, ON, Canada (February 19, 2020) – Iovate Ventures, a newly formed and dedicated international health and wellness investment group, a division of Iovate Health Sciences International Inc., is seeking like-minded U.S. start-up brands to apply to their strategic partnership program. If you are an emerging start-up brand looking to gain traction, expand retail distribution, and improve innovation, Iovate Ventures invites you to attend a morning meet and greet during the Natural Products Expo West Trade Show on Thursday March 5th, 8:00 am – 10:00 am, Hilton Anaheim, Palos Verdes A Room, Anaheim, California.
At the breakfast, brands will meet with industry leaders and learn more about the application process. Discover why your brand should collaborate with Iovate Ventures and gain access to expert advice and high-level teams, including best-in-class strategic tools and methods to accelerate ideas.
Apply to Iovate Ventures Strategic Partnership Program:
https://www.iovate.com/iovate-ventures/
For impact-driven brands, regardless of your company’s stage of growth, Iovate Ventures tailors specific strategies through its program offerings and services. Iovate Health Sciences International Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in wellness, weight loss, and active nutrition. The company’s seasoned team of scientists, R&D professionals, sales, and manufacturing experts are ready to help take your brand to the next level.
“There are a lot of great product ideas out there with tremendous potential that hit bumps on the road to their becoming viable offerings. It might be owing to a lack of experience, the necessary contacts—or resources. At Iovate Ventures, we want to ensure that great ideas achieve their potential and make a difference in the world. We’ll provide the expert resources to bring your product to market and provide access to people around the world who would most benefit,” says Raza Bashir, Vice President, Product Innovation at Iovate Ventures. “If you have a novel functional food or wellness-related consumer product in-market or ready to launch, then we want to connect at our Expo West breakfast to hear more about your products and what you stand for!”
An additional benefit to applying and joining the partnership includes exclusive connections to Iovate’s global distribution and retail networks, including the world’s largest retailers.
About Iovate Health Sciences International Inc.
Iovate Health Sciences International Inc., has been creating and building successful brands for more than 25 years. Through its commitment to scientific research and product development, Iovate Health Sciences International Inc. has led marketing efforts for countless cutting-edge products, which have been chosen by millions since its establishment in 1996. Iovate’s current brand portfolio includes Purely Inspired®, Conscious KitchenTM, Hydroxycut®, MuscleTech®, and Six Star®. The company’s core values include teamwork, accountability, passion, valuing people, customer-centric, and consumer-driven. For more information on Iovate Ventures and the application process, click here.
Iovate Ventures Contact
Raza Bashir, Vice President, Product Innovation
ventures@iovate.com
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Founder, Compass Natural
303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
Mass Market Sales of Hemp-derived CBD Predicted to Rise Significantly
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman
Look out, specialty CBD retailers, the mass market is coming on. According to a survey conducted by Nutrition Business Journal, CBD supplements and beauty products are now sold in more channels than perhaps any other product in “the history of human commerce,” including natural food stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, doctor’s offices, coffee shops, bookstores, boutiques, fitness clubs, smoke shops, dispensaries, convenience stores and gas stations. Consumer awareness of CBD increased from 47% in 2018 to 70% in 2019, according to NBJ’s survey, and product sales continue to grow at a rapid pace. “The largest shift between 2018 and 2020 is projected to happen in mass market retail, increasing from under 1% of the market in 2018 to almost a quarter of sales in 2020,” says NBJ, which attributes much of that growth to the sales of topical hemp-derived CBD products. However, NBJ predicts that mass market channels will continue to see success in CBD sales as more stores offer dietary supplement product options. NBJ estimates that sales of hemp-based CBD products will reach $4 billion by 2023.
New Bill Would Require FDA to Allow Marketing of CBD in Dietary Supplements
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would allow hemp-derived CBD to be marketed in dietary supplements and food products. Introduced by Collin Peterson (D-MN), Chair of the House Agriculture Committee, the bill would explicitly include hemp-derived CBD in the definition of a dietary supplement, reports New Hope Network. The bill is important, reports Marijuana Moment, because, while hemp and its derivatives were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, according to former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, it could take years for the FDA to finalize rules around allowing hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) in dietary supplements and food products—unless Congress steps in, he said. The legislation, filed on January 14, 2020, if passed would amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act to include CBD in the definition of dietary supplements. “The last two Farm Bills were landmark successes for hemp, but we are still very early in this process, and growers need regulatory certainty. This bill will allow FDA to regulate CBD that comes from hemp as a dietary supplement, providing a pathway forward for hemp-derived products. It would also identify barriers to success for hemp farmers, informing growers and policy makers of the challenges facing this new industry,” said Congressman Peterson in a statement. Learn more about current FDA, USDA, and state-level hemp and CBD policy and regulation at the upcoming 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, the world’s largest exposition, conference and gathering of hemp industry professionals, March 26-28, 2020, at the National Western Complex in Denver, CO.
Clif Bar Invests in University of California’s First Organic Research Institute
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman
With a $1 million endowment from Clif Bar & Company and University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano, the university will establish the system’s first-ever institute for organic research and education. The California Organic Institute will accelerate the development and adoption of tools and practices for organic farmers and those transitioning to organic by building on the capabilities of the UC Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources’ (UC ANR) Cooperative Extension and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, the university said in a release. “California's organic farmers already benefit from UC ANR's pest management, irrigation and crop production research, and this partnership with Clif Bar will give UC more capacity to focus on challenges specific to organic farming,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice president of agriculture and natural resources in the release. “The California Organic Institute will serve many of the organic producers we depend on for ingredients like almonds and figs, as well as farmers outside our supply chain,” added Lynn Ineson, VP of Sustainable Sourcing for Clif Bar. “We recognize that the future of our food company depends on the ecological and economic success of organic and transitioning farmers.” According to UC ANR, California has the most organic farms in the U.S., with 3,000 certified organic farms in the state representing 21% of all certified organic acreage in the U.S.
Plant-based Foods Are Hot, Getting Hotter
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Originally Appeared in Presence Marketing News, February 2020
By Steven Hoffman
The growth of plant-based foods will continue to skyrocket into the new decade, resulting in a continued decline in traditional meat and dairy products, reports Forbes Magazine. The article cites SPINS data commissioned by The Good Food Institute showing that retail sales of plant-based foods in the U.S. increased 31% over the two-year period ending July 2019 to reach nearly $4.5 billion. According to Forbes, plant-based milk is driving the category with total dollar sales of $1.86 billion in April 2019; plant-based meat alternatives totaled $801 million, followed by ready to drink beverages at $103 million. According to Forbes, investment bank UBS predicts that U.S. sales of plant-based protein and meat alternatives will grow from $4.6 billion in 2018 to $85 billion in 2030, and sales of plant-based dairy alternatives could reach $27.5 billion by 2025. Forbes noted that U.S. chocolate company Hershey recently launched two plant-based jerky varieties under the Krave brand, a meat snacks company it acquired for $200 million in 2015.