The UK’s Food Standards Agency is holding its public Board meeting in Swansea today, 16 September 2026, with a potentially important decision for the cannabidiol food market on the agenda: recommendations to ministers concerning the first authorisations for CBD novel foods.

The meeting began at 9am and is chaired by FSA Chair Professor Susan Jebb.

According to the agency’s official announcement, the agenda includes “CBD novel food applications: recommendations to ministers on first authorisations”.

That wording matters. The FSA’s morning announcement does not say the products have already been authorised. The Board is considering recommendations that are to be made to ministers.

Under the British food-regulation system, “novel food” is a legal category for foods or ingredients without a significant history of consumption before the relevant legislative cut-off and which require assessment and authorisation.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound found in the cannabis plant. It should not automatically be confused with THC, the substance associated with the psychoactive effects of cannabis.

CBD products sold as foods or supplements fall within a food-safety and authorisation framework that is different from the regulation of medicines.

The FSA has been working for several years on applications for CBD novel foods. The process involves assessment of safety data before a product can receive the necessary authorisation.

The appearance on the 16 September agenda of recommendations concerning the “first authorisations” therefore represents an important stage in the process.

RoAdevăr should not, however, publish a headline saying “Britain authorises CBD” before the final decision and exact scope of any authorisation have been officially confirmed.

The FSA Board meeting is public and can be watched online, while the agency has published the meeting papers.

In addition to CBD, the Board is considering an update on the Sanitary and Phytosanitary programme, annual local-authority performance, the future of food regulation, the Meat Charging Discount and the annual FSA science update.

The agenda also includes a report from the Director of the FSA in Wales, with the meeting taking place in Swansea.

The FSA is responsible for food safety in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with institutional differences across the United Kingdom.

For consumers, the CBD file is relevant because products have become widely available in shops and online, but presence on the market should not be confused with full authorisation for every product.

Novel-food assessment considers whether a product can be marketed under approved conditions without presenting unacceptable risks to consumers.

The FSA has also published consumer advice on CBD over time. Any specific figure concerning daily intake should be taken only from current official guidance, not historical recommendations or manufacturers’ marketing.

This article reflects the situation at the start of the 16 September meeting: the FSA Board is considering recommendations on the first authorisations.

If the FSA publishes the result of the vote or final recommendation before the scheduled 10:40 publication time, Cursor must update this article using only the official document.

That rule matters because a meeting in progress can produce new information between drafting and publication.

If the recommendations are approved, the article should state precisely what the Board approved and what legal stage remains before authorisation becomes final.

If they are postponed or amended, the headline must be adjusted accordingly.

Beyond CBD, today’s meeting illustrates the breadth of the FSA’s work, from local-authority controls to science and reform of the food-regulation system.

For now, CBD is the agenda item with the greatest public interest. After years of assessments, the FSA has reached the stage where its Board is discussing recommendations to ministers on the first novel-food authorisations in this category.

The final outcome, however, should be reported only once it is officially published.

Image: Food Standards Agency / GOV.UK, Crown copyright, Open Government Licence. Photograph of documents associated with the published Board papers. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Food Standards Agency September 2026 Board meeting | GOV.UK; CBD novel food applications: recommendations to ministers on first authorisations | FSA.