BUSINESS
America’s largest grocery chain to stock CBD
Grocery chain Kroger is to sell CBD products at almost 4,000 of its stores across 17 states.
Kroger follows CVS, Walgreens and a number of other large chains in stocking CBD on its shelves.
A Kroger spokesperson said:
“Like many retailers, we are starting to offer our customers a highly-curated selection of topical products like lotions, balms, oils and creams that are infused with hemp-derived CBD.”
The chain will not stock CBD foods or supplements until the FDA determines that the compound is safe to consume.
Acting FDA commissioner Ned Sharpless said at a recent hearing:
“When hemp was removed as a controlled substance, this lack of research, and therefore evidence, to support CBD’s broader use in FDA-regulated products, including in foods and dietary supplements, has resulted in unique complexities for its regulation, including many unanswered questions related to its safety.
“Although the law says that FDA can issue regulations to create new exceptions to these statutory provisions, FDA has never issued a regulation like that for any substance.
“So, if we were thinking about doing that for a substance like CBD, it would be new terrain for the FDA.”
CBD food and drink supplements are widely available across the US, though the FDA is cracking down on companies who make medicinal claims about their products.
In March, former FDA commissioner described the FDA’s approach as ‘enforcement discretion’. However, an FDA spokesperson recently denied that this was a policy.
