Whole Foods Predicts Hemp Will Be a Top 10 Product for 2019

“Hemp hearts, seeds and oils are nothing new to food and body care lovers — they’re in everything from waffle mix to dried pastas,” the company wrote. “But a new interest in the potential benefits stemming from other parts of hemp plants has many brands looking to explore the booming cannabis biz.

“While CBD oil is still technically taboo, (prohibited in food, body care, and dietary supplements under federal law), retailers, culinary experts and consumers can’t miss the cannabis craze when visiting food industry trade shows, food innovators conferences or even local farmers markets.”

(For the record, there’s a lot of confusion and disagreement about the federal legality of hemp-derived CBD oil, which you can read more about from a law firm’s opinion on the matter.)

The trend won’t stop at CBD, either. Apparently phytocannabinoids, those compounds that are present in cannabis but also in other plants, are “becoming more visible and prevalent.”

“It’s clear that hemp-derived products are going mainstream, if not by wide distribution, then by word of mouth!”

Hemp products that the trend-spotters recommended include a line of health supplements containing phytocannabinoids, a face cream comprising hemp stem cells and organic shelled hemp seeds.

While cultivating marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin is currently illegal in the U.S. outside of exceptions for state-approved hemp research programs authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill, there’s a strong possibility that industrial hemp will be broadly legalized — possibly by the end of 2018 — once the House and Senate reconcile their versions of a new Farm Bill and put it on the president’s desk.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who introduced the provision, issued a “guarantee” in early November 2018 that hemp legalization will be included in the final legislation.

That would give the hemp business an even greater boost going into 2019.