FDA report sheds light on mislabeled and adulterated CBD products

A recent report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that tracked the cannabinoid content of CBD products over the past six years shows nearly half of all products tested were mislabeled.

The products tested ran the gamut from oils to capsules, gummies, topicals, conventional food items and pet treats, among others. Two products were referred to the Drug Enforcement Agency after lab analysis revealed that one product, a CBD oil capsule, contained 16 mg/g of THC and another, a CBD gummy, tested positive for a synthetic cannabinoid. 

The FDA took into account several factors when choosing which products to test, but most prominent, were products that made “serious disease claims,” the report notes. 

Of 78 products tested from 2014 to 2018, cannabinoids were detected in 88 per cent and 86 per cent were found to contain CBD. A report of 23 CBD products tested in 2014 found that just 35 per cent were consistent with the amount of labeled CBD. “Many of the products contained THC and/or other cannabinoids,” the report states. 

Additionally, 31 products from 2019 were tested for cannabinoids, with 21 of those products specifying an amount of CBD on the label. Of those 21 products, only seven contained CBD within 20 per cent of the amount indicated, the report notes. Nearly half of the 2019 products tested contained THC.

The takeaway, according to the the FDA? More studies are needed. The agency, which is responsible for regulating CBD products in the U.S., is currently working on additional near- and long-term studies.

“These preliminary data are from a limited sample size and cannot be used to draw conclusions about the marketplace and supports the need for the long-term study, which will capture multiple retail sources (online and brick and mortar) and a greater number of products,” the report concludes.

For hemp advocates, the report provides more evidence that the FDA needs to do a better job regulating CBD. “It’s high time for the FDA to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement and food additive,” reads a response to the report from the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “The agency’s current public stance not only impairs hemp farmers and small businesses; an unregulated marketplace poses real health and safety concerns.”