Challenges of Food Safety in the Cannabis Edibles Marketplace

By: Lauren Solar

Cannabis edibles is one of the fastest growing sectors of the food industry, with sales on track to register a compound annual growth rate of more than 25 per cent between 2018 and 2022. Almost gone are the days of the college kid, illicitly whipping up a batch of pot brownies for the amusement of their friends. Although some small producers remain active, edibles are mainstream; they are produced at a commercial scale, in large batches and involve some of the biggest players in the market, rumoured soon to include Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch.

Producing cannabis edibles is a complex process, combining food production with a pharmaceutical that requires an accurate dosage. Cannabis contains a wide range of chemicals which may contribute to their psychoactive properties (their effects, individually and in combination, haven’t all been studied yet). The two most common are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The commercial development of this new sector has been plagued with reports of dosage inaccuracies and inconsistent products. We’re going to look at some examples of the variables edibles manufacturers face to demonstrate the issues.

Not all Cannabis is Created Equally