Hemp Seed Is Finally a Legit Human Food in New Zealand

As of Monday next week, hemp seed can be sold just like any other edible seed.

Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor said the rule change was a huge win for the local hemp industry, which has long argued the benefits of such a move. He said the law change would “stimulate regional economies, create jobs and generate $10-20 million export revenue within three to five years”.

The Misuse of Drugs (Industrial hemp) Regulations 2006 and the Food Regulations 2015 will be amended to enable hemp seed to be sold for human consumption. But hemp flowers and leaves will still be a no-go.

As it currently stands, hemp can only be used for fibre and hemp-seed oil. But the new law will allow hulled, non-viable seeds and their products to be sold just like sesame seeds. However, growing, possession and trade of whole seeds will still need a licence from the Ministry of Health. “Diversification is key to the health of a regional economy," O'Connor said, "and the Government is committed to work with our primary sectors to get more value from what they do."

VICE spoke to founder of Plant Culture Cameron Sims, who has been on a mission to make locally grown hemp seeds part of every New Zealander's diet for some time. We wanted to find out how the law change will impact his business.

VICE: Hey Cameron, what was your reaction to hemp seeds gaining the stamp of approval for human consumption?
Cameron Sims: This is huge news for us. We didn’t expect it so soon. I think it was three years ago they said they were going to change the law, so it is huge that it has changed – one gingerish step toward full cannabis legalisation!

So now you can stop labelling your hemp products as "animal feed", right?
Yes, correct. We have been selling our products as animal food to get around the prohibition. People buy it knowing it is for animal use only, but they will obviously do what they want with it.

Will the legalisation of hemp seed be good for your business?
Absolutely it is good for business. We have been anticipating the change and have been working with large companies to make sure that once the food laws change, we are ready to go.

However with the law change, I know there will be a lot of cheaper-origin seeds hitting the market. For example, Chinese hemp can be about a tenth of the price. We have always been in this boat, but now Countdown will probably have a really cheap seed coming in soon from somewhere foreign.

This will really hurt sales of New Zealand product because our hemp has to compete with dairy for land. Which means the farmer needs to be paid something equivalent to that of dairy. So hemp seed grown in New Zealand is always going to be more expensive than Canadian, Australian or Chinese hemp.

Will the legalisation mean we will start seeing more hemp-seed dishes on the menu?
We have already seen an increase in demand. More and more restaurants and cafes are wanting to have it on their menu, especially now that any business can sell it and there is no grey area around whether or not they can legally serve it.

Why should people eat hemp seeds?
It is the most nutrient-dense seed on the planet. Just three tablespoons can give you over 100 percent of your daily magnesium. It's packed with protein and omega as well.

What does hemp seed taste like?
It tastes like pine nuts crossed with sesame seeds – a nutty seed favour.

Okay, so it’s a pretty easy sell. Do you think companies like yours will be able to keep up with the demand?
At the moment we have about a dozen restaurants and retailers who are on board, but we keep selling out. Interestingly, New Zealand is in a hemp shortage right now: there already isn’t enough local hemp to sell. There has been a black market for hemp seeds and companies like mine have been selling it and we have ended up consuming all the local stuff there is.

So despite always wanting to support New Zealand farmers, we have brought some hemp seed in from Canada just to keep up with demand. But a lot of our customers have said that they only want to have New Zealand products. We have hemp in the ground ready for harvest in late February, early March.

What are the biggest misconceptions around the hemp-seed food industry?
I just went home to see my family and visited my old high school. The principal there asked me what I was up to now, and I told him I owned a cannabis company and he almost fell over. So there is still a huge stigma that hemp is going to get you high, but with industrial hemp it is impossible – you are eating the wrong strain of the cannabis plant.

Do you think the decision to legalise hemp seeds will help clear up this confusion?
Yeah, I think it will. If you speak to an American they know the difference between them, because hemp seed is legal for human consumption over there. I think a lot of people still don’t understand how it is different and why it doesn’t get you high. But Americans know that it is not a drug, it is food.

Some people don’t even know where meat comes from, or McDonalds potato chips. We are so disconnected from our food. But because the law makes it legal, people will assume that it is safe. And it is. And people will now assume that it won’t get you high. And that is also true. New Zealand is one of the last countries in the world to get up with the play.

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