Hemp is soon to be a legal food in Australia
The prohibition of ‘superfood’ hemp is over.
The Council of Australian Governments will officially pass legislation to legalise hemp for consumption as a food in Australia on 12 November 2017.
Hemp is recognised as having nutritional benefits and acknowledged as one of only five key natural superfoods.
What is hemp?
Hemp has a five-star health rating. It also has a complete amino acid profile, including all eight essential amino acids.
Until now, hemp products have been limited to use in the textiles, building and cosmetics industries.
The decision to legalise hemp has come after years of lobbying Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and the Industrial Hemp Association of Victoria.
Australia is one of the few remaining nations to have previously resisted legalising the plant based product for consumption.
Hemp contains THC, the hallucinogenic substance found in marijuana. It has been decided that hemp seeds are low enough in THC that people can’t get high from eating them.
Hemp legalisation is good news for Australian farmers
With the global and local demand for hemp increasing, a number of farmers and food and agribusinesses nationally are set to cash in.
The crop has been grown in Tasmania for use in cosmetics and shampoos since the 1990s.
Tasmania’s cool climate, long growing season and Australian-leading hemp friendly legislation has given it the edge over mainland Australian businesses in growing the crop.
Hemp is fast growing, requires little water and aids in land management. The plants shady nature means it helps with weed resistance, meaning less or no chemicals are required.
Some of the hemp products available include hemp versions of porridge, muesli, protein powder, oil, chai, tea and oil gel capsules.
Related articles
- FSANZ permission of low-THC hemp-seed products creates new opportunities
- Hemp foods approved for sale in Australia
- Tasmania to encourage hemp crops despite Federal Ministerial forum’s hemp oil seed ban
