The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) has called on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Home Office to work together to resolve the “outstanding issues stalling progress” on British novel food applications.

ACI has produced a white paper underlining the “need for constructive engagement” between the respective authorities, as part of its plan to bring to a close to what it calls a “regulatory stalemate”.

The paper draws on a consultation across the UK’s consumer cannabinoid industry to establish a “clear and legal” framework to “safeguard the future of the sector”.

Steve Moore, ACI co-founder, said: “Whilst the attempts by both the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to allow CBD products to continue on the market is commendable, the processes have taken too long, become too confused and have not been sufficiently co-ordinated.

“The agency and the department should take account of the recommendations in this report. Together they provide a path to expedite the legal and regulation frameworks the industry has been crying out for and invested millions of pounds towards progress.”

This comes five years after the European Commission’s declaration that ingestible products containing cannabinoids were to be considered as “novel foods”, and four years since the FSA followed suit. More recently, the FSA updated guidance to recommend a reduced intake of 10mg CBD per day.