HEMP is on an upward trajectory on the Border.
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Since it was legalised for consumption in Australia about five months ago, the plant food has taken off in and around Albury.
Geelong-based hemp foods company Australian Primary Hemp has been working with Border retailers and farmers on the emerging industry.
Albury businesses Olive Health Foods and Border Just Foods are among Border businesses who stock their hemp products.
Both of them sell Australian Primary Hemp Protein and Oil.
Olive Health Foods owner David Redcliffe said his customers had embraced the hemp products.
“Since the legislation, we have seen an increase in the number of customers coming in to purchase hemp food products,” he said.
Australian Primary Hemp said with great climate and soil conditions in the region a number of farmers had expressed interest in growing the plant.
One of Australian Primary Hemp’s Shepparton-based hemp farmers will soon harvest his first hemp crop.
After two decades of lobbying politicians, the Council of Australian Governments officially passed the legislation on November 12 last year for hemp to be consumed as food.
Until that time hemp products had been limited to the textiles, building and cosmetics industries.
“We’re talking about a super food and super grains; they’ve been there for hundreds of years and we haven’t used them,” Mr Bertalli said.
Mr Bertalli, who sells hemp bread and muffins at his bakery, said customers should not expect to get a buzz out of their daily bread.
“Hemp is different to marijuana because it has negligible THCs,” he said.
“But it’s a green taste, it’s a healthy taste.”
Australian Primary Hemp’s plants contain less than 0.3 per cent of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THCs), the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, meaning there is no risk of psychoactive reaction.
Australian Primary Hemp spokeswoman Georgina Beasley said hemp had many nutritional benefits.
“Hemp contains a perfect 1:3 balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 for vital immune strength system and cardiovascular health,” she said.
“It’s an excellent source of dietary fibre necessary for digestive health and cleansing; it’s a Complete Amino Acid Profile with all eight essential amino acids to increase energy, metabolism and tissue regeneration.”
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