Do you have a favorite snack? If it’s Oreos, Chips Ahoy, or Cadbury chocolates, you have a company called Mondelez to thank. Soon, they could also be fulfilling other cravings you may have. That’s right, the creators of Oreos are looking into getting into the CBD snack market. Surprisingly, it’s bigger–and more mainstream–than you might at first expect. (1)
What is CBD?
Cannabis, commonly known as ‘pot’ or ‘weed’ is made up of two main compounds. One of them is cannabidiol, or CBD, which is non-psychoactive. As of December 2018, Donald Trump had legalized many products containing CBD–but adding CBD to food or beverages is still banned by the FDA. (2)
The Public and CBD
Chefs said CBD-infused food and drinks would be the hot food trend of 2019. Modelez wants to get in on this expanding market since people are going wild for the supposed health benefits, which include relief from anxiety and pain management. But, just because it’s popular with a section of the public, don’t expect all your cookies to go ‘green.’ Mondelez’s CEO, Dirk Van de Pu thinks that the company would need to create new products. The reason? Fears that people would react negatively to CBD extracts in products with a more ‘wholesome’ imagine. “Yes, we’re getting ready,” says Van de Pu. “Nut we obviously want to stay within what is legal and play it the right way.” (1)
The Money in CBD
Forbes.com quotes Matthew Karnes, who said, “In terms of the CBD market size, I estimate an almost $3 billion market by 2021.” He would probably know. Prior to founding his company, Greenwave Advisors, he was an equity analyst for emerging companies. Karnes is also a chartered public accountant (CPA) with over 25 years of experience.
Greenwave Advisors is, according to their site, “a cannabis centric advisory firm that provides independent financial research & analysis, due diligence, and other advisory services.”
The Forbes article also says one company, Medical Marijuana Inc., says they do over $800,000 of retail sales every month. However, they also say they are leading the industry. (3, 4)
The Problems In CBD For Consumption
“CBD tastes pretty bad,” says Forbes. However, “some regular users say you get accustomed to the bad taste.”
The health benefits? Those are also a bit dodgy, too. “Little scientific research” has been done to verify if the claims made by CBD extract enthusiasts are true, says Van de Pu. Modelez will have to conduct their own independent research before they decide whether or not to proceed.
The FDA’s website says that “the FDA has seen. . .real risks that need to be considered before taking CBD for any reason.” Some of the possible side effects? Liver injury, negative interactions with other drugs, decreases in male fertility, drowsiness, irritability, agitation, diarrhea, and decreased appetite. If that’s not enough, you might not get what you pay for. The FDA “tested the chemical content of cannabinoid compounds in some of the products, and many were found to not contain the levels of CBD they claimed.” (2, 3)
