Why is industrial hemp called a novel food?
Hemp is considered a novel food in Australia and New Zealand because it is a non-traditional food for which there is insufficient knowledge in the broad community to ensure safe use. As such, it is required to be assessed under the recently established standard for novel foods: Standard 1.5.1. This Standard applies to all new foods in Australia and New Zealand regardless of their use in other countries. The purpose of the Standard is to ensure that non-traditional foods that have features or characteristics that raise safety concerns will undergo a risk-based safety assessment before they are offered for retail or direct consumption in Australia or New Zealand.
