MXC should have stuck to its original business plan - it would...

MXC should have stuck to its original business plan - it would appear that cannabis might end up being mainstream in a fairly short period of time in Australia.

MXC is a story of a litany of business errors of judgement.

Hemp products soar, but expert warns of misleading labels (thenewdaily.com.au)

Hemp products soar in popularity, but expert warns of misleading labels

Hempis making a big impact on the Australian consumer market, but an expert told TheNew Daily that shoppers should carefully read the ingredients list onproducts to ensure they are getting what they expect.

HempFoods Australia this week announced a nationwide deal with Woolworths,following strong product sales and growing consumer demand for hemp foodproducts and plant-based diets.

Underthe deal, Hemp Foods Australia’s certified organic Hemp Gold Seed Oil willincrease distribution, ranging from 100 stores to 948 stores nationwide. Thecompany’s products are also available at Coles supermarkets.

ProfessorRachel Burton told TND that despite hemp’s growing popularity,many products claiming to contain hemp may only have a small percentage of theingredient.

Shesaid this has led to consumers paying a premium for products that only have atiny amount of hemp but are marketed heavily due to the plant’s novelty factor.

“Consumersshould be careful. They might be buying things because the label says it’s gothemp in it, but when you actually look in the ingredients list, it might be aslittle as 1 per cent,” she said.

The changingperception of hemp

Hempwas legalised from consumption in Australia in late 2017.

Accordingto Professor Burton, the public’s perception of hemp is changing. The stigmaassociated with recreational drug use is slowly waning.

“It’sbecoming common knowledge that hemp is a healthy food alternative, and itdoesn’t have any of those associated risks,” she said.

Theonly part of the plant available to buy in Australia for home cooking isthe hemp heart, or the middle part of the seed. This inner part ofthe seed doesn’t contain the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol(THC).

Althoughit’s illegal to buy whole hemp seeds, some processed foods that contain seeds,such as flour and baked products, are available at supermarkets.

Hempseeds and oil are commonly used in food items like granola, protein powders,smoothies and baked goods. You can even find hemp in burger patties, muffins andflavoured waters sold at bottle shops.

Health benefits

Hemphas strong nutrition credentials. The seeds are protein-rich and full ofessential amino acids. They also contain high amounts of polyunsaturated fats,specifically omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which benefit overall health.

LisaDonaldson, accredited practising dietitian and spokesperson for the DietitiansAssociation of Australia, told Choice some of the health-related claimssurrounding the benefits of consuming hemp seed include:

• Decreasing food cravings and intolerances
• Decreasing inflammation and blood pressure, and
• Improving digestion, immunity and energy levels.

“However,there has been limited research conducted on humans to support these claims,”she said

CatherineSaxelby, accredited nutritionist and dietitian and founder of Foodwatch says “the most beneficial attribute of hemp is probably the high omega-3 content of its oil. However, the plant form of omega-3 isn’t well absorbed (particularly when compared to fish oil).”

Hempis a versatile product, and as well as foods, it can also be used in variousgoods such as food, clothing, building materials and personal care products.