CBD Product Labels: What Rules Users and Buyers Should Know About Claims

• The label of a CBD product cannot include any benefits.
• The FDA has yet to verify that CBD can be used for any specific benefit.

The Farm Bill of 2018 allowed hemp to be legalized for the purpose of cultivation, sale, and more. Hemp-derived CBD, as a result, also became legal, though there are certain requirements imposed on the companies that make these products. While the Food and Drug Administration is still working to roll out regulatory measures that can offer companies some guidance as to what is allowed. However, despite waiting for this information, there are still laws about what these companies can legally put on their labels.

Right now, consumers are able to get CBD products from a multitude of retailers, including Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS. Every single label from CBD products cannot include any kind of deceptive or fallacious claims, which means that the information permissible can include the place of manufacturing, material information, the expiration date, and other information. No matter what is on the label, everything has to be clear and accurate, and cannot breach the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.

The FDA states that all labels are prohibited from stating any medical or remedial benefits, which is largely due to the fact that the FDA has not verified its use for any specific purpose. If the label violates this rule, then the FDA is able to classify it as a drug. There have already been multiple firms to receive warnings for their mislabeling of products for exactly this purpose. The majority of legitimate companies are happy to have these regulations in place, since it helps to filter out false companies that could otherwise cause disruption in the industry.

When companies label the product, there are several guidelines that must be followed. The label must include the net weight of the product in the label, as well as the quantity of CBD per serving. The manufacturer and distributor names must be on the label as well, along with the intended use of the product, expiration dates, batch code, and manufacturing dates.

When choosing these products, the FDA states that customers shouldn’t be enticed by words like “organic” or “natural,” as these words have no technical interpretation for the substance. Companies that include these terms are most likely attempting to misguide the consumers.