In several Western countries, hemp seeds and oil are gradually making a comeback as ingredients in food and cosmetics products. The best example is North America, where the recent steady increase in Canadian hemp acreage is driven almost exclusively by demand from the U.S. market for “natural foods”. But also in the UK and Germany, hemp foods, i.e., any food products containing hemp seeds or oil, are beginning to appear in stores and receive press coverage. In the 1990s, much of the mentioning of hemp foods was driven by hype or, in the U.S., the issue of contamination by trace amounts of THC, the major psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. Nowadays, the potential health benefits and taste of hemp foods have become an important buying consideration. This chapter reviews the drivers for the recent expansion of the hemp food market and discusses the opportunities and challenges it offers to the global hemp industry.
Author: Gero Leson, Leson & Associates, Berkeley, CA (USA)
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