FDA: Thailand Hemp for Food, Cometics & medicinal

Thai Hemp for medical, food and cosmetic

As of 29 January 2021, the “production, import, export, distribution and possession” of hemp has been legalized, the commercial cultivation of hemp is generating significant interest in Thailand. The plant has a wide range of applications and it is forecast to improve Thailand’s struggling economy due to the fall of the tourism industry. Hemp cultivation is now an interesting and attractive proposition for Thai farmers, SME and large corporation, and it is thus possible that the crop may become a major source of income for the country and its people. This emerging new industry is growing rapidly in an expanding global market that is forecast to have a value of around USD 15.8 billion within the next 5 years

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Hemp may be used in a great number of applications, including as a relaxant, a sleeping aid, a remedy for dizziness, and as a cure for headaches and migraines. In addition, all of the plant may be used for commercial purposes, from its flowers, through the leaves, seeds and branches to the exterior and interior of the stalks, and even the roots, all of which may be processed into a remarkably wide range of products. Thus, the flowers can be processed for the extraction of medicinal phytocannabinoids, including CBD (which may be consumed directly or used to generate added value by being mixed with foods and drinks, or by being processed into personal care or cosmetic products) and terpenes (used to make perfumes and essential oils). The leaves may be used in the production of food and beverages, or to make organic fertilizer, building materials, fiberboard and fiberglass. With regard to the stalks, the outer layer can be used to make fiber, clothes, rope, lightweight and high-quality bullet-proof body armor, paper-making pulp, packaging materials, heat insulators, and bioplastics, while the lightweight inner parts of the stalks are used in construction to produce blocks and hempcrete, as well as in auto assembly and furniture production. Oils and other extracts from the seeds find applications as food additives and in the manufacture of personal care products, since these have a high nutritional value (they are rich in protein, vitamin E and omega oils).

Hemp may be used in a great number of applications, including as a relaxant, a sleeping aid, a remedy for dizziness, and as a cure for headaches and migraines

Hemp extracts can be divided into 4 categories, the prices of which vary according to their purity and the method of processing.

1. Full spectrum CBD is CBD that still contains both other phytocannabinoids and THC. Full spectrum CBD also contains terpenes, which give it a distinctive smell, and flavonoids, which have anti-oxidant effects.                                                                                                                                                        
2. CBD isolate is pure CBD, which may be in a crystalline or powder form. This is a fine, white, tasteless, odorless product that is used in the production of food and beverages, and in the manufacture of topical applications (cream, etc.). Average prices come to USD 900-1,300/kilogram.                                                     
3. Broad spectrum CBD, or CBD distillate, is CBD extract that still contains some adulterants (as with full spectrum CBD) but the THC has either been entirely removed or it is present in only low levels (the thresholds for this are set by individual countries). Demand for broad spectrum CBD is high and prices run in the range of USD 2,400-4,200/kilogram.                                                                                                                                                                                  
4. Water soluble CBD differs from the above 3 types of CBD, which are insoluble in water and which therefore need to be dissolved in oil (e.g., cold-pressed coconut oil, fatty acids, or medium-chain triglycerides). Average prices for water soluble CBD are USD 1,850-3,200/kilogram.

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Thailand Hemp Industry

Considered by product group, personal care products (e.g., face and skin creams, hand cleaners and other washing and beauty products) had a combined value of USD 1.76 billion (37.1% of the market for hemp products), followed in importance by food and beverages (25.2%), textiles (18.6%) and pharmaceuticals and medicines (11.6%)

Players in the food and beverages and cosmetics industries are currently seeing shortages of inputs. Using hemp products in downstream processes is dependent on the passing of relevant ‘organic laws’. but at present, only those that relate to the food and beverage and cosmetics sectors have been published in the Royal Gazette7/, and despite this, using hemp in these industries is still subject to a number of restrictions. Thus, when adding hemp to food and drink products, only seeds and protein and oil extracted from seeds may be used, while for cosmetics, only oil and other extracts produced from seeds are allowed. Moreover, supplies can only be sourced on the domestic market, and imports are not permitted. As such, downstream consumers of hemp products are having to wait for supplies to arrive from midstream players since producing processed food-quality hemp (as per the FDA regulations for food and medicines) requires the development of new varieties that will then have to be grown and processed for their oil and other extracts. It is hoped that this will be achieved in 2022, when the industrial and commercial distribution of hemp products will begin in earnest, though a large number of players remain interested in entering the market