Verdant Nature LLC, a hemp grower and processor which manufactures the Verdant Oasis brand, recently partnered with HempFusion Inc. to achieve self-affirmed GRAS for its Verdant Oasis Panoramic Entourage Phytocannabinoid-Rich Whole Plant Hemp Extract (VOHO Hemp Oil).
 
The tests were performed based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Redbook Guidelines, and included an independent review of extensive safety tests conducted on VOHO Hemp Oil by a panel of toxicologists, including experts at GRAS Associates.
 
“FDA expects the hemp industry to prove safety of phytocannabinoid-rich hemp oil and Verdant Nature has answered the call as part of our commitment to establish a quality and safety benchmark for genuine hemp oil,” said Carl Germano, CNS, CDN, vice president of Verdant Nature.  “Extensive toxicology studies were conducted in accordance with FDA Redbook guidelines, including Ames Mutagenicity, Micronucleus Genotoxicity, 14 Day Acute, 90 Day Sub-Chronic, and Maximum Tolerated Dose. The review and evaluation of these studies and the NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect) were published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS One.”
 
According to FDA, substances that are GRAS under the conditions of their intended use do not require premarket approval by the agency, based on scientific safety data. “VOHO Hemp Oil GRAS status provides a runway for our clients to expand from dietary supplements to novel functional foods, incorporating benefits of phytocannabinoids’ support of the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS),” Germano said. “This independent review further assures Verdant Nature’s customers that our number one goal is to provide safe and legal phytocannabinoid-rich hemp oil as a quality benchmark in the vast sea of questionable products. In fact, many products touted as hemp extracts are actually marijuana products according to genetic tests recently published in New Phytologist confirming that many high CBD cannabis products claimed as hemp extracts are actually derived from marijuana.
 
“The authors conclude that high CBD plants are genetically marijuana and cannot be expected to meet the legal definition of industrial hemp,” Germano continued. “This suggests that CBD products derived from these materials may be incorrectly labeled and potentially misbranded.”
 
VOHO Hemp Oil is derived from European seed bank registered industrial hemp with proven genetic stability and decades of safe human consumption, the company reports. It is extracted in Verdant’s FDA-registered facilities that are independently certified HACCP and GMP compliant by SGS, certified under the USDA-National Organic Program, and released for interstate commerce through the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Entry Process.