The FSA’s First CBD Approvals Explained: What Changes for UK Buyers

What did the FSA decide?

Since 2019, CBD sold as food or a food supplement in the UK has counted as a “novel food”. That means each product needs formal approval before it is fully authorised. For seven years, no CBD product had got all the way through. In September 2026 that changed.

The FSA has recommended three applications to ministers (its board was asked to agree this on 16 September 2026; we will update this page when the minutes are published):

Products made under these approvals will have to carry warnings that they are not suitable for under-18s, people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, or people who take medication or have a weakened immune system. They must also meet strict limits on THC and other controlled cannabinoids.

Around 3,000 of the 8,147 products on the FSA’s public list are linked to these three applications. The recommendation now goes to ministers in England and Wales, who make the final decision. Scotland has its own process through Food Standards Scotland, and Northern Ireland follows a separate route.

Is CBD legal in the UK right now?

Yes. Nothing in this decision bans CBD. While applications work through the system, the FSA keeps a public list of CBD food products linked to applications it has accepted for assessment. Products on that list can continue to be sold. Products that are not on it should not be on sale, and the FSA has asked local authorities to focus their enforcement on those.

The FSA is clear that being on the list is not an endorsement: it means the product is in the process, not that its safety assessment is finished. For the full picture, including THC and travel, read our guide to whether CBD is legal in the UK.

Which CBD brands are on the FSA public list?

The public list covers products, not brands, so search it by name. Open the FSA’s searchable register (linked from the gov.uk public list page), type the brand or product, and read each result’s status and application number. In November 2026 it held 12,115 entries (last updated 13 April 2026).

• Validated: the application has all the information the FSA needs for its safety assessment. The product can stay on sale while it is assessed. It is not an authorisation.
• Awaiting evidence: not yet validated but progressing to an agreed deadline. The product can stay on sale for now.
• Removed: the linked application has dropped out, and the product should be withdrawn from sale.

Evopure’s CBD oils and capsules are listed as Validated under RP438 (Broad Spectrum, Flow, Sleep and Relief oils and Broad Spectrum CBD Capsules) and RP821 and RP47 (Evolabs). Other examples from the register:

What it means for Evopure products

In other words, we are in the same position as most of the UK market. “Validated” means an application passed the FSA’s initial checks. After that comes the full safety assessment, a safety opinion, a board recommendation and, finally, a decision by ministers. We will update this page as our applications move forward.

Every batch of our CBD is third-party tested, and you can request the report for any batch on our lab testing page.

Why 10mg, and the EU’s 2mg view

The FSA originally advised healthy adults to take no more than 70mg of CBD a day. In October 2023 it cut that to 10mg a day, which it says is roughly 4 to 5 drops of a 5% CBD oil. The new approvals use the same 10mg ceiling.

Europe has gone further. In February 2026 the European Food Safety Authority set a provisional safe level of 0.0275mg per kilogram of body weight a day for pure CBD. For a 70kg adult, that is about 2mg a day. Both regulators describe their figures as precautionary, because long-term research is still limited.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication. Our guide to the CBD daily limit in the UK goes into more detail.

“After seven years, UK customers deserve a properly regulated CBD market, so we welcome the first approvals. But 10mg is a precautionary figure, set with a large safety margin while research continues, and many adults use more. Our advice is simple: buy from a brand on the FSA public list with published lab reports, start low, and speak to your pharmacist if you take medication.”

Martin Travis, co-founder, Evopure

The twist: the UK and EU food agreement

The UK and the EU are negotiating a food and farming agreement, known as the SPS agreement, which would line up UK food rules with EU ones. The FSA’s own board papers say that once it comes into force, approvals granted in Great Britain would stop applying, and businesses would need an EU authorisation instead. The chair of the FSA has said the long-term future of the UK CBD sector is likely to lie with EU authorisations.

What that means in practice, and when, is not yet clear, and the EU’s own CBD approvals are still working through its system. For now, the UK public list is still what counts, and nothing changes for customers overnight.

What to look for when you buy CBD

This decision is a good moment to check what you are buying. Five quick checks:

1. Is it on the FSA public list? A reputable brand will tell you, or you can search the list yourself on the FSA website.
2. Are there lab reports? Look for an up-to-date certificate of analysis for each batch. Our guide to reading CBD lab reports shows you what to check.
3. Is the THC level clear? Broad spectrum and isolate products should show no detectable THC.
4. Can you work out the dose? The label should tell you how much CBD is in each drop or capsule.
5. Do you take medication? CBD can interact with some medicines. Read our guide to how CBD interacts with medicines and speak to your pharmacist.

For a fuller checklist, see best CBD oil UK: how to choose a quality brand, and if you are new to the terms, what full spectrum CBD means.

Timeline: how we got here

Related guides

• How CBD oil is made, from hemp to bottle.
• What CBD isolate is and how it differs from broad spectrum.
• If you are tested for work or sport, see our guide to CBD and drug tests in the UK.
• Novel food studies are one of the reasons CBD oil is so expensive in the UK.
• For what to check on the label when buying capsules, see our CBD capsules buying guide.
• UK approval doesn’t carry over to other countries: see is CBD legal in my country? before you travel.
• For the liver and long-term questions behind the 10mg figure, see CBD side effects: what is known and what isn’t.
• For the wider picture of UK CBD use and sales, see our UK CBD statistics.
• For why THC is a controlled drug while CBD is regulated as a food, see the difference between CBD and THC.
• One of the recommended applications covers drinks; see what this means for CBD drinks like Trip.
• Many gummies hold more than 10mg each; see how much CBD is in a gummy.
• If you are buying CBD in the November sales, see how to spot a genuine Black Friday CBD deal, including why the FSA public list matters.
• To see how many drops 10mg is for a 5%, 10% or 20% oil, use our CBD oil strength chart.
• Buying CBD for the evening? Our best CBD oil for sleep UK guide uses the FSA public list as its first check.
• One brand with products linked to RP427 is covered in Orange County CBD and the FSA list.
• Curious how long a 10mg dose lasts? See how long CBD stays in your system.
• The list also includes oral pouches: see CBD pouches and the FSA list.
• The FSA list confirms legal status, not origin; for that, see how to check a CBD oil is UK made.
• For an example of a brand listed under RP-106, see our Love CBD guide.
• Every Evopure FSA list entry is set out in Evopure reviews and company facts.
• CBD Asylum and the FSA list: which of its products sit under RP-349 and RP-427.