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It's used in salad oil, power shakes and non-meat burgers, it's turning up in skin care products and may one day coat the exterior of long-haul buses.
The Canadian hemp industry is booming as farmers, food processors and industrial users alike are rediscovering the plant that is related to marijuana, but won't get you high.
Health-conscious consumers are driving the growth that saw crop acreage double in Canada this year, according to participants gathering in Winnipeg for the annual convention of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance on Friday.
"It's the human health food market which is driving things along at the moment," said Arthur Hanks, the group's executive director.
"We're now making things like hemp burgers, hemp bars and hemp waffles, hemp granola. One thing that's really hot right now is hemp protein powders (used in smoothies and shakes)," Hanks said.
Ruth Shamai, owner of Ruth's Hemp Foods Inc. in Toronto, which manufacturers and distributes hemp products throughout North America, said her company experienced 60 per cent growth last year.
"Hemp companies and products are winning awards," and consumers are becoming much more conscious of hemp seeds' health benefits, such as its high protein content, she said.
It wasn't that long ago, Shamai recalled, that the industry used to hear comments like "Oh, can I smoke it?" and "Why would I eat it?"
Consumers are also looking for alternatives to soy products as some people are having physical reactions to it or are "just sick of it," Shamai said.
An employee at the Organza Market, a Winnipeg health food store, said Thursday that hemp products are selling like "gangbusters."
"The seeds are incredibly popular," said Shawn Nesbitt. "People eat them by the handful."
The Canadian industry -- farming and processing -- is located mainly on the Prairies, said Hanks.
Manitoba farmers accounted for about half the 50,000 acres grown in Canada in 2006. Farmers must get a licence from Health Canada for each field they plant to the crop.
Shaun Crew, president of Hemp Oil Canada Inc., in Ste. Agathe, contracted with about 100 growers representing 10,000 acres this past year.
His company, which employs 10 people in the small town 40 kilometres south of Winnipeg, sells hemp food products around the world.
He's also developed a line of hemp body products that include a shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion, bath oil and hand cream.
Another Manitoba company, Winnipeg-based Motor Coach Industries, is participating in a $3.5 million research project that could allow the bus manufacturer to make the outer skin of its buses from hemp- and flax-based alternatives instead of fiberglass.
The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance's Winnipeg meeting is expected to draw more than 80 participants from across the country, including marketers, food and fibre processors and researchers.
It's legal, high-protein, very low in THC
Are hemp seed and hemp oil legal? Both are legal in Canada and in many countries around the world. The United States prohibits the cultivation of hemp, but allows importation of hemp products.
What's the difference between hemp and marijuana? Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the plant species cannabis sativa L. The major difference between the two is in the level of THC, the psychoactive ingredient found at levels ranging from 5-20 per cent in pot and at trace levels 0.00030 per cent (maximum allowable limit) in hemp.
Can hemp food products make you high? No.
What are the nutritional benefits of hemp seed? Contains 31 per cent highly digestible protein. High-quality amino acid composition is closer to "complete" sources of proteins (meat, milk, eggs) than all other oilseeds except soy.
What are some other uses of hemp? It has been used to make paper, rope, textiles, bio-fuels, lubricants, paint and building materials.
Sources: Hemp Oil Canada Inc.; Wikipedia
Hemp by the numbers:
50,000: Number of acres licensed for hemp production in Canada in 2006, compared with 24,000 in 2005 and 8,750 in 2004.
25,000: Estimated acres devoted to hemp in Manitoba this year; Saskatchewan was second with 12,000.
200: Estimated number of hemp growers in Canada.
1998: Year in which hemp was 're-legalized' for cultivation by the government of Canada.
80-plus: Number registered to attend the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance meeting in Winnipeg Friday.
Sources: Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, Hemp Oil Canada Inc.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Winnipeg Free Press
Pubdate: 17 November 2006
Author: Larry Kusch
Copyright: 2006 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: Winnipeg Free Press
Website: Article Here
The Canadian hemp industry is booming as farmers, food processors and industrial users alike are rediscovering the plant that is related to marijuana, but won't get you high.
Health-conscious consumers are driving the growth that saw crop acreage double in Canada this year, according to participants gathering in Winnipeg for the annual convention of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance on Friday.
"It's the human health food market which is driving things along at the moment," said Arthur Hanks, the group's executive director.
"We're now making things like hemp burgers, hemp bars and hemp waffles, hemp granola. One thing that's really hot right now is hemp protein powders (used in smoothies and shakes)," Hanks said.
Ruth Shamai, owner of Ruth's Hemp Foods Inc. in Toronto, which manufacturers and distributes hemp products throughout North America, said her company experienced 60 per cent growth last year.
"Hemp companies and products are winning awards," and consumers are becoming much more conscious of hemp seeds' health benefits, such as its high protein content, she said.
It wasn't that long ago, Shamai recalled, that the industry used to hear comments like "Oh, can I smoke it?" and "Why would I eat it?"
Consumers are also looking for alternatives to soy products as some people are having physical reactions to it or are "just sick of it," Shamai said.
An employee at the Organza Market, a Winnipeg health food store, said Thursday that hemp products are selling like "gangbusters."
"The seeds are incredibly popular," said Shawn Nesbitt. "People eat them by the handful."
The Canadian industry -- farming and processing -- is located mainly on the Prairies, said Hanks.
Manitoba farmers accounted for about half the 50,000 acres grown in Canada in 2006. Farmers must get a licence from Health Canada for each field they plant to the crop.
Shaun Crew, president of Hemp Oil Canada Inc., in Ste. Agathe, contracted with about 100 growers representing 10,000 acres this past year.
His company, which employs 10 people in the small town 40 kilometres south of Winnipeg, sells hemp food products around the world.
He's also developed a line of hemp body products that include a shampoo, hair conditioner, body lotion, bath oil and hand cream.
Another Manitoba company, Winnipeg-based Motor Coach Industries, is participating in a $3.5 million research project that could allow the bus manufacturer to make the outer skin of its buses from hemp- and flax-based alternatives instead of fiberglass.
The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance's Winnipeg meeting is expected to draw more than 80 participants from across the country, including marketers, food and fibre processors and researchers.
It's legal, high-protein, very low in THC
Are hemp seed and hemp oil legal? Both are legal in Canada and in many countries around the world. The United States prohibits the cultivation of hemp, but allows importation of hemp products.
What's the difference between hemp and marijuana? Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the plant species cannabis sativa L. The major difference between the two is in the level of THC, the psychoactive ingredient found at levels ranging from 5-20 per cent in pot and at trace levels 0.00030 per cent (maximum allowable limit) in hemp.
Can hemp food products make you high? No.
What are the nutritional benefits of hemp seed? Contains 31 per cent highly digestible protein. High-quality amino acid composition is closer to "complete" sources of proteins (meat, milk, eggs) than all other oilseeds except soy.
What are some other uses of hemp? It has been used to make paper, rope, textiles, bio-fuels, lubricants, paint and building materials.
Sources: Hemp Oil Canada Inc.; Wikipedia
Hemp by the numbers:
50,000: Number of acres licensed for hemp production in Canada in 2006, compared with 24,000 in 2005 and 8,750 in 2004.
25,000: Estimated acres devoted to hemp in Manitoba this year; Saskatchewan was second with 12,000.
200: Estimated number of hemp growers in Canada.
1998: Year in which hemp was 're-legalized' for cultivation by the government of Canada.
80-plus: Number registered to attend the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance meeting in Winnipeg Friday.
Sources: Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance, Hemp Oil Canada Inc.
Newshawk: User - 420 Magazine
Source: Winnipeg Free Press
Pubdate: 17 November 2006
Author: Larry Kusch
Copyright: 2006 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: Winnipeg Free Press
Website: Article Here
