Hemp is making a big impact on the Australian consumer market, but an expert told The New Daily that shoppers should carefully read the ingredients list on products to ensure they are getting what they expect.

Hemp Foods Australia this week announced a nationwide deal with Woolworths, following strong product sales and growing consumer demand for hemp food products and plant-based diets.

Under the deal, Hemp Foods Australia’s certified organic Hemp Gold Seed Oil will increase distribution, ranging from 100 stores to 948 stores nationwide. The company’s products are also available at Coles supermarkets.

Professor Rachel Burton told TND that despite hemp’s growing popularity, many products claiming to contain hemp may only have a small percentage of the ingredient.

She said this has led to consumers paying a premium for products that only have a tiny amount of hemp but are marketed heavily due to the plant’s novelty factor.

“Consumers should be careful. They might be buying things because the label says it’s got hemp in it, but when you actually look in the ingredients list, it might be as little as 1 per cent,” she said.

The changing perception of hemp

Hemp was legalised from consumption in Australia in late 2017.

According to Professor Burton, the public’s perception of hemp is changing. The stigma associated with recreational drug use is slowly waning.

“It’s becoming common knowledge that hemp is a healthy food alternative, and it doesn’t have any of those associated risks,” she said.

The only part of the plant available to buy in Australia for home cooking is the hemp heart, or the middle part of the seed. This inner part of the seed doesn’t contain the psychoactive chemical ​​tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Although it’s illegal to buy whole hemp seeds, some processed foods that contain seeds, such as flour and baked products, are available at supermarkets.

Hemp seeds and oil are commonly used in food items like granola, protein powders, smoothies and baked goods. You can even find hemp in burger patties, muffins and flavoured waters sold at bottle shops.

The public’s perception of hemp is changing. Photo: Getty

Health benefits

Hemp has strong nutrition credentials. The seeds are protein-rich and full of essential amino acids. They also contain high amounts of polyunsaturated fats, specifically omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which benefit overall health.

Lisa Donaldson, accredited practising dietitian and spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia, told Choice some of the health-related claims surrounding the benefits of consuming hemp seed include:

• Decreasing food cravings and intolerances
• Decreasing inflammation and blood pressure, and
• Improving digestion, immunity and energy levels.

“However, there has been limited research conducted on humans to support these claims,” she said

Catherine Saxelby, accredited nutritionist and dietitian and founder of Foodwatch says “the most beneficial attribute of hemp is probably the high omega-3 content of its oil. However, the plant form of omega-3 isn’t well absorbed (particularly when compared to fish oil).”

Hemp is a versatile product, and as well as foods, it can also be used in various goods such as food, clothing, building materials and personal care products.