New York Restaurants Grapple With Unexpected CBD Ban
Photo Caption: Caffeine Undergrounds storefront in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Skift Take
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's rollout of its CBD ban has been called both vague and sneaky by restaurant operators across New York City. But what's really confusing for business owners is having to hear about new regulations via media reports, instead of documentation from the governing entity.
Restaurants have been left scrambling this week after the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene decided to issue a ban on the use of cannabidol, a non-psychoactive chemical component of cannabis, in food and beverage items.
The action came as a surprise to restaurants that have been selling cannabidol — widely known as CBD — for months without any complaint from visiting health officials.
On February 4, Eater reported that the DOH had banned the sale of CBD edibles at Fat Cat Kitchen, a restaurant and bakery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The DOH bagged up about $1,000 worth of CBD-infused items and told Fat Cat’s co-owner, C.J. Holm that the food could no longer legally be sold. The DOH had previously visited the restaurant on several occasions and never mentioned that there was an issue with the CBD items on the menu.
“Restaurants in New York City are not permitted to add anything to food or drink that is not approved as safe to eat,” the Department of
