Once viewed primarily as a fibre crop – and unfairly conflated with cannabis – hemp is now making a comeback as a functional, sustainable ingredient in nextgeneration diets. Lorraine Mullaney explores how hemp is carving out a new niche in food innovation and why its moment may finally have arrived.
“Hemp seed is sweet, neutral, non-toxic. Used for treating dry intestines and constipation. It can be eaten as gruel.” This is how the Chinese medicine master Li Shizhen described hemp in his encyclopaedia of medicine, the Compendium of Materia Medica, published in the late 16th century during the Ming dynasty. Hemp had already been around for millennia when Shizhen defined it, and it was used for far more than relieving constipation. One of the earliest crops cultivated by humans, the fast-growing, hardy hemp plant was first grown for its fibre, which was used to make clothing, rope, paper and oil as far back as the Neolithic period – long before cotton or flax came into widespread use. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and hemp is undergoing a renaissance as a functional food ingredient. Food culture is evolving as today’s valuesconscious consumers shift towards more nutritious, plant-based and environmentally friendly diets. Hemp is well-positioned to meet their demands for clean label, functional foods that don’t take a heavy toll on the planet, thanks to its unique nutritional profile and eco-friendly credentials. The hemp-based foods market is seeing impressive momentum, with global sales expected to grow from $5.94bn in 2024 to $6.47bn in 2025, according to the ‘Hemp Based Foods Global
Hemp-based foods global market report 2025
Market Report 2025’ by the Business Research Company. This surge reflects growing consumer interest in plant-based and natural nutrition, alongside increased awareness of hemp’s health benefits and the broader legalisation of its use. Looking ahead, the market is forecast to hit $9.04bn by 2029, driven by regulatory support, expansion into emerging markets, and rising demand for sustainable and functional food options. Innovation is also playing a key role, with new hemp-based snacks, beverages, dairy alternatives and CBD-infused products entering the mainstream.
Hemp sphere
North America was the largest region in the hempbased food market in 2024, according to the report, and it is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The report also covers Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. (All predictions are subject to ever-changing regulatory frameworks, of course.)
The core hemp food products are hemp seed oil, hemp protein powder, whole hemp seed and hulled hemp seed – also known as hemp hearts: the inner part of hemp seeds. Softer than hemp seeds, hemp hearts have the same nutritional value but contain less fibre.
The plant’s unique nutritional profile offers consumers far wider benefits than ‘treating dry intestines and constipation’ (although the fibre in the seeds aids digestion). Hemp is one of the few plantbased sources to deliver both omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and omega-6 (linoleic acid) fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart disease. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is typically 2:1 or 3:1 in hemp seeds.
In addition to containing essential fatty acids, the hemp seed is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids – the building blocks of protein – making it a strong source of plant-based protein for vegans. However, while protein remains a health buzzword for consumers, not all sources of protein are viewed equally – and hemp protein still has some ground to cover. According to recent findings in a GlobalData Consumer Survey Insights report, traditional proteins like eggs and chicken remain the most positively perceived, thanks to strong familiarity and long-standing associations with health benefits.
Plant-based options like chickpeas are gaining favour, even slightly edging out meat in positive perception. However, lesser-known proteins – like hemp and precision-fermented varieties – lag behind due to low recognition and limited understanding of their nutritional value. Hemp protein, in particular, suffers from a lack of consumer awareness, despite its strong nutritional profile. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for brands: to tap into hemp’s potential, companies will need to invest in consumer education and tailor messaging to local cultural preferences.
Hemp seeds also contain a non-essential amino acid called L-arginine, which converts to nitric oxide in the body, enabling oxygen to travel more efficiently through blood vessels and improving nutrient absorption. Hemp is also gluten-free, which is a bonus given the increasing prevalence of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. The plant’s environmental credentials are an even bigger growth driver. The British Hemp Alliance describes hemp as: “One of the most versatile, prolific and synergistic tools available to tackle key environmental challenges, such as CO2 and land contamination.”
The not-for-profit organisation explains: “Hemp bio-remediates contaminated soil, improves soil structure and nutrient levels, and can lead to greater yields in follow-on crops, such as wheat.
“The plant grows without the need for pesticides or herbicides and needs minimal water. It’s one of the most effective CO2 offsets, as it can grow up to 5m in only three to four months.”
It’s these credentials that led the EU to flag the opportunities hemp cultivation provides in its European Green Deal. One hectare of hemp sequesters 9–15 tonnes of CO2 – similar to the amount captured by a young forest – but a hemp plant only takes five months to grow. It has few natural predators, and its dense leaves provide a natural soil cover, reducing water loss and protecting against erosion.
Other factors at play
Perhaps the most problematic aspect of hemp is the fact that it contains cannabinoids: a range of compounds that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system in ways that may support wellness by regulating pain, anxiety and sleep. For this reason, hemp is often conflated with cannabis. Hemp is a subspecies of Cannabis sativa
How do you think the following ingredients impact your health?
but contains much lower levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the cannabinoid that produces the psychoactive ‘high’. It’s this THC content that legally and chemically distinguishes cannabis from hemp: the hemp plant typically contains less than 0.3% THC, whereas THC levels in cannabis range 5–30%.
Governments are more lenient on hemp because of its low THC content, but regulations around its use as a food ingredient are complex and constantly evolving. In the US, for example, hemp seed foods are legal if they come from hemp grown under the 2018 Farm Bill and contain less than 0.3% THC. The EU also requires hemp food ingredients to contain less than 0.3% THC, but in the UK, the limit is lower – just 0.1%.
Regulatory hurdles have not stopped manufacturers from innovating. Hemp-derived food product development has moved beyond using seeds and powders in smoothies and cereals to creating inventive products like hemp butter and cheese, hemp-infused snacks and sweets, hemp pasta and noodles, ready-todrink (RTD) beverages and even meat alternatives.
Some innovations include California-based start-up Planet Based Foods, which launched, it claims, “the first” plant-based meats made with hemp in 2022. Product formulators combined hemp seeds with pea protein and brown rice to create burgers, sausages and meat crumbles. In 2024, plant-based dairy producer Elmhurst 1925 released a hemp powder that consumers can rehydrate to form a chicken-style cutlet. Developed using HydroRelease technology by food scientist Dr Cheryl Mitchell, the product is sold as a dry powder. Consumers add water and oil and microwave it for 90 seconds to form cutlets that can be grilled, baked, braised or fried. Elmhurst’s extraction method separates protein from fibre, producing a liquid that retains all the protein without relying on oils, stabilisers or thickeners – like xanthan gum or carrageenan – for creaminess.
Holding its own
Hemp extracts are more stable in their native oil-based formats, but in powder form, more variables come into play. Technical knowledge is crucial for producing shelfstable products. For instance, hemp powder’s ability to gel or retain water and oil isn’t as strong as that of other plant-based ingredients. As a result, it often needs to be blended with more functional proteins like soy or pea to achieve meat-like textures – especially when using highmoisture extrusion. In baked goods, the lack of gluten in hemp flour (typically a plus) poses challenges for dough elasticity and structure. That’s why many manufacturers blend it with gluten-containing flours or gluten-free binders such as psyllium husk or xanthan gum – though the latter has a debatable clean label status. Hemp flour also has lower starch levels than wheat, which affects cohesiveness. Additionally, hemp’s residual oils can oxidise over time, reducing shelf life. Hemp seeds contain delicate polyunsaturated fats – the aforementioned omega-3 and omega-6 – which degrade under high heat, impacting flavour, nutrition and longevity. Gentle handling, cold-pressing and oxygen-controlled packaging are critical to preserve hemp’s delicate properties, especially when used in baked bars or granolas. Taste also remains a challenge. Hemp has an earthy, nutty, grassy flavour, so tastemasking is often required – unlike with more neutral plant proteins like pea. Still, with the global hemp-based protein market projected to reach $9bn by 2029, the opportunity is worth the effort.
