The new decree on the cannabis alimentary announced by Coldiretti.
After the Supreme Court’s decision that does not condemn the cultivation (or very little) of cannabis plants for personal use, it is now up to Coldiretti to give us good news about marijuana. He announced the decree of November 4th, 2019, published on January 15th, 2020 in the Official Journal, which gives the green light for the development of marijuana products for the table.
Finally, companies producing legal hemp and its derivatives are beginning to have answers regarding the use of these products (use so far unclear due to the incompleteness of Law 242/2016).
But what exactly does the decree on cannabis-based foods say?
Decree of November 4th, 2019, on the limits of THC in hemp-based foods
The order issued on January 15th 2020 sets the maximum amount of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which may contain food for official inspection. “Total THC” refers to the concentration resulting from the sum of THC amounts and those of its inactive acid precursor, THCA.
The hemp products mentioned in the decree are, in particular:
- Cannabis seeds (not only whole but also shredded, broken or ground to a different size of flour)
- Flour obtained from seeds
- The oil obtained from seeds
It includes not only Europen food products, but also those of an EFTA state that is a signatory to the EEA Agreement (and, of course, the other European Union states and Turkey).
But what are the maximum amounts of THC THCA allowed for these foods? Here’s more information:
- 2 mg/kg for hemp seeds and flour obtained from seeds (these amounts correspond to 0.0002% THC);
- 5 mg/kg for the oil obtained from hemp seeds (equivalent to 0.0005% THC).
The decree also refers to dietary supplements containing hemp derivatives, which must have maximum amounts of THC of 2 mg/kg (0.0002% THC).
But how to use these CBD cannabis products?
How to use seeds, flour and hemp oil in the kitchen?
There are a large number of options for the use of these products.
For example, you can use hemp flours to prepare the following foods:
- Cookies
- Bread, toast, baguettes
- Salty and sweet cakes
- Homemade pasta
- Miscellaneous candy
It is also perfect as a thickening in soups and puddings and enriches smoothies and extracts to make them more protein.
What about the seeds? You can use them raw, such as flaxseeds, and add them to many foods, including:
- Salads
- Yoghurt
- Smoothies
- Muesli
- Soups
- And others
You can also use them to decorate cakes, bread and chopsticks made with hemp flour.
But that’s not all: you can also use seeds for cooking typical vegetarian foods such as milk, tofu and hemp seeds.
The oil is used as classic olive oil as a dressing in salads, soups, but also in the preparation of other foods. Imagine a salty cake or tasty slices of tomatoes and hemp oil made from cannabis seeds!
Hemp seeds and oil are beneficial to our health, as the following paragraph on its properties demonstrates.
Read also: April 20, 2020: Cannabis Day
The properties of hemp seeds and oil
Oil and hemp seeds have many features that are very beneficial to our body. In addition to being gluten-free, and therefore ideal for coeliacs and intolerant to this product, here are their main features:
They have all the essential amino acids that are essential in our diet because the human body fails to produce them independently and necessary for protein synthesis:
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Phenylalanine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine.
They are rich in fibre and mineral salts.
They have many vitamins, including essential vitamin E, which acts as a biological antioxidant.
They have a perfect relationship between Omega 3 and Omega 6, ideal for promoting and regulating the metabolic activities of our body.
Thanks to the presence of vitamins and minerals, they can strengthen the immune system.
They are ideal in low-calorie diets because they have few calories (and coeliacs know how difficult it is to find low-calorie foods for their diet.
If you’ve never thought about adding hemp to your diet, then maybe it’s the right time!
In conclusion
The decree issued on January 15th 2020 formalizes the possibility of using CBD cannabis-based foods and regulates the maximum amounts of THC they can contain.
From now on, agri-food companies will have particular guidelines on the limits of THC THCA to be respected. They will then be able to carry out appropriate analyses to certify their products and prove their legality.
Remember that the products considered in the decree are seeds, flour and hemp oil (plus the dietary supplements that contain them), with which you can prepare many delicious foods!