How is it legal to use hemp in cooking products

A.�� Hemp has become notorious as the plant from which cannabis is derived. But it has been used for thousands of years to make clothing and sails, and more recently as an alternative building material. Hemp foods are also creeping onto supermarket shelves.

�

There are around 80 hemp farms in the UK. Each one has a special licence from the Home Office, which demands set controls, but the crops grows well in the British climate and is especially useful for organic growing methods, because it flourishes without pesticides or herbicides.

�

Q.� Which bit of the plant is used

A.� It's the leaves of the plant that are used as the cannabis drug. Its fibres are used to make paper, rope and fabrics. The plant produces non-hallucinogenic seeds which, when ground, soaked and crushed, can be used for flour, bread, pasta, cakes and other foods.

�

Soaked seeds can also be made into a kind of 'milk' to form the basis of non-dairy ice-creams. The seeds can be ground into oil, which can be taken as a supplement in liquid or capsule form, or added to salad dressings or mayonnaise.

�

Q.� Is hemp food good for you

A.� It does contain nutrional benefits. Hemp seed provides an ideal balance of protein, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids. It has about 24 per cent protein and all the essential amino acids in nutrionally significant amounts in an easily digestible form - so it's excellent for vegetarians.

�

Q.� How is the rest of the world reacting to this new wonder food

A.� It's been banned in the US after the USA Drug Enforcement Administration decreed, in their view, the hallucinogenic substance in cannabis, known as THC and found in and on the leaves of the plant, inevitably contaminated the seed during harvesting and processing. Although the seeds do not contain THC, their sale is now illegal.

�

The US hemp industry wants the ruling overturned. Sceptics believe the ban is political - hemp is being developed as a sustainable alternative to oil-based products such as plastic, which could have implications for the petrochemical industry. Others believe hemp is too closely associated with cannabis in an anti-drug climate. In the UK, it's accepted there is no evidence that THC is present in hemp foods.

�

For more food and drink questions and answers, click here

�

By Katharine MacColl