In an announcement on February 9, 2026, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said it had established a provisional safe intake level for CBD. Significant data gaps remain; the announcement must be read alongside the product's composition and conditions of use. EFSA's 2026 CBD safety announcement
The scope of the figure
EFSA's provisional level is 0.0275 mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight daily. For a 70-kilogram adult, this is approximately 2 mg of CBD. The level includes an additional safety margin because of missing data and may be reassessed when new data become available. Provisional intake level and the precautionary approach
The scope is limited to food supplement formulations containing CBD at a purity of at least 98%, without nanoparticles, produced by a process considered safe and with genotoxic potential ruled out. EFSA says safety has not been established for people under 25, pregnant or breastfeeding people, or those taking medicines. Data gaps concerning the liver and hormonal, nervous and reproductive systems also remain. Assessment scope and data gaps
A food safety level within this framework should not be interpreted as a personal dose or an amount needed to treat a disease. Nor does this announcement provide a common assessment for all CBD oils with different formulations.
Safety assessment and market authorization
The novel food system aims to ensure a product is safe for consumers and is not misleadingly labeled. In the European Union, premarket authorization is a separate stage based on that assessment. We should therefore distinguish a scientific safety announcement from permission to sell a product. The European Commission's novel food assessment and authorization process
For readers, this means looking beyond the fact that an institution has made a statement about CBD. Understanding which product, use and population were assessed makes the meaning of the news clearer.
KenevirHaber's assessment
In our view, the CBD industry's ability to build long-term trust depends on openly addressing limitations as well as positive research. Ignoring new data when it conflicts with earlier expectations does not answer consumers' questions.
A clear path for the requested research is also important for manufacturers. Companies need to know which data to provide, while consumers need to understand why assessments can change. Revisiting a limit in light of new research is part of the scientific process.
If interest in CBD becomes an effort to better understand products, it will benefit both the industry and readers. Explaining a product's composition, conditions of use and the limits of the findings together gives readers clearer answers.
The cover is an illustrative image created with artificial intelligence.
