The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, known as the 2018 Farm Bill, descheduled the industrial hemp plant from the Controlled Substances Act, federally legalizing hemp production in the United States for the first time. Going above and beyond the 2018 Farm Bill guidance, Manitoba Harvest received Food and Drug Administration clearance as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). This was a historic first for the hemp industry, as we were the only company to proactively gather and provide the scientific evidence necessary to affirm the FDA’s designation of GRAS Notified for our hemp hearts, hemp seed oil, and protein powder.
Manitoba Harvest’s achievement represented an opportunity to broaden consumer access to the nutritional benefits of hemp seeds with the highest possible quality standards. There’s still more work to be done to share the transformative power of hemp with the world, and Manitoba Harvest is proud to lead the charge.