It’s a topic of conversation around the country and in every nook and cranny of the food and beverage world. Depending on who you talk to, cannabis is primed to be a golden goose for food and beverage companies – or is a movement rife with risk and regulatory chaos. So, which is it? If you’ve tuned into the topic of cannabis in food and beverage in the last six months it won’t surprise you to know that it’s well, possibly both. But who is the consumer for these products? Where is the real opportunity, and what’s coming next? Let’s dive in.

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp and its derivatives, including cannabidiol (CBD). But the FDA has not yet released or implemented new rules for CBD, a non-psychoactive chemical compound found in cannabis. As Sen. Ron Wyden points out to Rolling Stone: “The bill legalized hemp and its derivatives, which means CBD,” Wyden says. “The FDA just hasn’t stepped up to affirmatively update its regulations so they comply with federal law.”

Read the full article from our cornerstone member FONA here