The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) has slashed the recommended dose of cannabidiol (CBD), advising that adults consume a fraction of the previous daily limit because of concerns about liver and thyroid issues. 

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

The about-turn comes after new evidence from the industry and updated advice from the agency’s independent scientific committee published on 12 October, based on the risk assessment of foods and supplements in which the CBD ingredient is at least ≥98% pure. This pertains to oral ingestion only, not products that are inhaled or applied dermally.

CBD has been researched for potential medical applications, including the treatment of epilepsy and seizures, but the joint position paper from the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes and the Committee on Toxicity says “novel foods” containing CBD now need to be evaluated and authorised before they can legally be sold.

In a statement posted on the authority’s website, Professor Robin May, the chief scientific adviser at the FSA, said: “Our independent advisory committees have reviewed the safety assessments submitted by the industry as part of their novel food applications and we are advising that healthy adults should take no more than 10mg of CBD a day.

“The more CBD you consume over your lifetime, the more likely you are to develop long-term adverse effects, like liver damage or thyroid issues. The level of risk is related to how much you take, in the same way it is with some other potentially harmful products such as alcoholic drinks. 

“We encourage consumers to check the CBD content on the product label to monitor their overall daily consumption of CBD and consider if they wish to make changes to how much they take based on this updated advice.”

The FSA’s CEO, Emily Miles, said they had always advised consumers to be cautious about their consumption levels of these edibles.

“We understand that this change to our advice will have implications for products currently on the market that contain more than 10mg of CBD per serving. We will be working closely with industry to minimise the risk, to ensure consumers are not exposed to potentially harmful levels of CBD.”

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

“Officially, one cannot add CBD to foods, as it is not a food ordinarily ingested,” says Steinman. DM