More than two dozen Dutch cannabidiol producers are self-certifying their products and sharing lab results and product origins with consumers – a move to foster transparency and accountability amid uncertainty about the future of cannabidiol products in the European Union.
The Cannabinoid Association of the Netherlands (CAN) announced the launch of CanCheck.org on Thursday. The move comes as European regulators are signaling questions about how CBD should be regulated.
Currently in Europe, cannabinoids including CBD must be assessed by EU authorities before they can be placed on the market. The rule is left to member states to enforce, giving Europe’s CBD makers a patchwork of enforcement regimes to navigate, somewhat like in the United States.
But last month, after months of closed-door deliberations, the European Commission said it had taken the preliminary view that CBD and other cannabis extracts should be treated as narcotics under U.N. conventions.
If this stance is officially adopted, CBD would not be legally classified as a food. The commission has unofficially put a pause on novel food application reviews while it deliberates its next course of action.
Against the backdrop of this regulatory uncertainty, CAN’s 29 members launched CanCheck.org.
The CBD search tool allows consumers to search and view the manufacturing and testing history of products that have been given the consortium’s seal of approval.
The search platform uses blockchain technology to track batches, certification and auditing.
A CAN Quality Mark indicates that the product adheres to the group’s manufacturing, labeling and testing requirements according to EU food supplement regulation, including:
- ingredients.
- CBD percentage levels.
- batch codes.
- names and addresses of the CBD products’ food business operators.
One of the patricipants, HempFlax CEO Mark Reinders, said in a statement that traceability and quality control is “the only way to ensure product quality and protect consumers.”
