Companies waiting to launch food products made from hemp seeds in Australia and New Zealand will now have to wait until next year.
A decision on whether hemp can be sold in food products was due to be made this month, but has now been delayed until March 2017, according to ABC Rural.
Hemp, a species of cannabis, has low levels of the mind-altering chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Hemp seeds and hemp seed oil are already used in food products in Europe, Canada and the United States, and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has been working on a proposal to enable companies to use the highly nutritious seeds to create food products for sale in Australia.
FSANZ said it would now be discussed at a meeting of Australian and New Zealand food ministers, known as The Forum, in March.
A spokesperson for FSANZ said the assessment has been delayed to enable resolution of technical aspects, but could not provide further comment, according to ABC Rural.
Two proposals to consider hemp as a food product submitted by FSANZ in the past have both been rejected over concerns about the potential impact on roadside drug testing, and the potential of the decision to send mixed messages about the acceptance of marijuana.
Some hemp food products are already being sold in Australia, although they are labelled for cosmetic use only. Consumers here cannot legally eat them, while consumers in many other countries can.
