A USDA Study Shows That THC And CBD Levels In The Meat Of Cows Fed Hemp Cake Are Safe!
According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), cows given hempseed cake retain very low levels of THC and CBD in their bodies, showing that meat from hemp-fed calves is safe for human consumption.
The rise in hemp oil production has left farmers with a lot of byproducts that can be crushed into cakes, and researchers at the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service (ARS) and North Dakota State University (NDSU) wanted to determine the safety of feeding it to animals.
The study, which examined the concentration of cannabinoids in the muscle, liver, kidney, and adipose tissues of cattle given hempseed cake, examined the amounts of THC and CBD at various stages of metabolism. It was published in the journal Food Additives and Contaminants.
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According to research, just a small portion of the total amount that international regulatory organizations deem safe for consumers comes from the concentrations of [cannabinoids] in meat products, the departments stated in a news release on Wednesday.
Furthermore, the study discovered that hempseed cake is a highly nutritious alternative feed option for cattle.
The USDA’s Animal Metabolism-Agricultural Chemicals Research Unit’s David Smith claimed that it would be very challenging for a person to ingest enough fat from cattle fed hempseed cake for their diet to surpass legal limits for dietary THC exposure.
Hempseed cake, which has a low THC level from the perspective of food safety, can serve as an acceptable source of crude protein and fiber in cow feed and can provide industrial hemp growers with a possible market for this byproduct of hempseed oil extraction, he said.
As an extra bonus, a previous year’s nationally financed study discovered that giving hemp to cows lowers their stress levels. Additionally, researchers have studied how CBD impacts stress and pain in horses.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved hemp as a source of food for animals, nevertheless.
Last year, the FDA sent warning letters to a number of companies selling CBD products for animals, advising them that there is currently insufficient information on the levels of possible residues that are safe for humans to consume when eating products derived from animals that have received CBD treatment.
After rejecting to adopt rules that would have more generally allowed CBD products in the human food supply or as dietary supplements, the government has also irritated business stakeholders. Bipartisan legislators have submitted laws to that effect after officials stated that the work required congressional approval.
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Earlier this year, the USDA began sending out tens of thousands of surveys to hemp farmers all around the nation as part of its yearly effort to understand how the market has changed since the crop was made lawful by the federal government under the 2018 Farm Bill.
In 2021, the department started its first annual survey, and the following year it produced a report with the findings. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the USDA noted that the questionnaire has subsequently been changed to enhance data quality and lessen the burden on respondents.
A new weekly hemp market report was introduced by the USDA in January to offer unbiased, timely, and accurate information on the sector.
Due to the insufficient capacity of such facilities, the USDA declared in December that it would postpone the enforcement of the rule requiring hemp to be tested in labs approved by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Despite the ongoing reservations from proponents about specific aspects, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack gave final approval to a broad federal rule laying out regulations for the hemp business in 2021.
Separately, the agency has improved hemp company insurance policies by making them more adaptable in response to stakeholder comments.
Additionally, the USDA announced in 2021 that it was collaborating with a chemical manufacturer on a two-year study that might dramatically increase the market for hemp-based cosmetics.
