Could vegan CBD Oreos be a reality in the near future? Mondelēz International CEO Dirk Van de Put is considering it.
The CEO of the international food brand said in a recent interview with CNBC that the company has been looking into using CBD in its products — that is, once it’s legal for use in food and drink.
What Is CBD?
CBD is the non-psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, meaning it won’t get you high like THC found in marijuana. Its reported benefits range from better sleep to alleviating anxiety and chronic pain. While plenty of brands are already selling CBD-infused snacks such as vegan chocolate and gummies, it’s currently not legal to use in food and drink, per the FDA.
The FDA held its first public hearing for CBD aka cannabidiol earlier this month in order to begin developing regulations for its use in food and drink. According to The Motley Fool, more than 400 companies, groups, and individuals applied to speak at the hearing, but 120 were selected via lottery. The general takeaway from the hearing is that it left many questions unanswered about CBD’s use in medicine, food, and drink.
CBD Oreos?
Despite mixed messages, Van de Put believes that CBD will be approved for food and drink use in the near future.
Does this mean CBD Oreos will happen? Maybe not. He told CNBC: “Our view on it is that we have a number of family brands, Oreo would be an example, so we feel a little bit hesitant about doing anything with CBD in family brands.”
Maybe Newman O’s (like Oreos, most flavors are vegan) will hop on the trend. Or Trader Joe’s Joe-Joe’s.
Another brand considering hopping on the CBD-infused food trend is Ben & Jerry’s. The company wrote on its website, “You probably already know that we’re fans of all things groovy — think: Half Baked and Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies. So it’s no surprise that we can’t wait to get into the latest food trend: cannabidiol, or CBD.”
The popular Vermont-based brand has been making vegan ice cream since it launched its first four non-dairy flavors in 2016 — so it’s possible that it could make CBD ice cream using its almond milk base. Like with Oreos, the company is waiting for the go-ahead from the FDA.
