Current developments on the attempt to ban CBD oils

Sainfort noted with regret the decision of March 24, 2022 by the notification office for chemicals regarding CBD oils. In this article, we clarify the current situation in order to prevent uncertainties on the part of consumers. We are currently working with various industry representatives on possible solutions.

According to the European Commission, foods containing CBD are considered “novel foods” and can therefore only be placed on the market with a permit from the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) or with authorization from the European Commission. Since CBD is not recognized as a food, there are currently no (approved) foods containing CBD in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, CBD oils are usually traded as chemicals. As long as these products were properly registered and the packaging and labeling of the products contained the necessary hazard and safety information, this was perfectly legitimate.

Since many users take CBD oils for oral consumption, the Registration Authority for Chemicals has decreed that CBD-containing fragrance oils may only be placed on the market in denatured form as long as they are registered as a chemical. In concrete terms, this means that in future only CBD oils to which denaturants have been added may be sold in order to make them inedible for oral consumption and thus prevent abusive consumption.

The regulation stipulates that undenatured CBD oils that were placed on the market as chemicals before March 24th may only be sold during a transitional period of six months. 

This decision by the authorities effectively represents a ban on CBD oils for oral consumption. However, it is questionable whether this ban will achieve the desired goal - it is much more likely that consumers will switch to products from abroad or to the black market, what make adequate quality assurance and consumer protection impossible.

Important: all CBD oils that are currently offered in the Sainfort web shop are completely legal and do not contain any denaturing agents.