The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has recalled a range of products containing the cannabis extract CBD.

In a statement, the FSAI said consumers were being “put at risk and misled” by the producers of some of the products.

CBS is a cannabis extract that is non-psychoactive and is widely available of the high street. It is advertised as a natural remedy for a range of symptoms – including pain, anxiety and inflammation.

Under EU law, CBD products are legal, provided they contain no more than 0.2% of the psychoactive component of the plant, THC.

The FSAI said it had carried out a national survey of CBD products available in Ireland and found that nearly four in ten contained “significantly” higher levels of THC than is permitted.

A Cappuccino at a CBD café in Berlin, 07-01-2020. Image: Britta Pedersen/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB

Meanwhile, the same number of products were found to have significantly different levels of CBD than they claimed to contain.

The authority said consumers may be put at risk through the ingestion of “relatively high levels of THC.” It said there are “no immediate dangers” associated with the products; however, they could pose a risk for drivers and athletes - potentially leading to people unwittingly failing drugs tests.

The products included in the FSAI recall are:

CBD products recalled by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Image: FSAI

FSAI Chief Executive Pamela said it is hard to know how many CBD products are available in Ireland.

“We carried out this survey to determine exactly how compliant these products are with EU and Irish food legislation,” she said.

“People consuming CBD products, where the quality control is poor, may not be getting what they are paying for and also could unwittingly be exposing themselves to psychoactive THC.”

She said the FSAI is also working with HSE in relation to some of the products identified in the survey and “further appropriate action will be taken.”

File photo of CBD oil products in the US, 20-11-2020. Image: Ariana Garcia/Zuma Press/PA Images

The FSAI is asking HSE inspectors to check food businesses for any of the implicated batches.

Any business selling the products must immediately remove them from sale and contact the FSAI or HSE.

They must also display a point-of-sale notice in-store or on websites if sold online.

The recall comes as the UK Food Safety Authority warned that pregnant women, new mothers and people on medication should avoid CBD products.