Legal Expert Doesn’t Expect Pending Ban to Kill Fast-Growing Hemp THC Sector

The agreement to open the US government last week included a potential beverage industry casualty — hemp-based THC drinks. As part of the deal, Congress and President Donald Trump closed a loophole embedded in the 2018 agriculture act that previously legalized hemp farming. Last week’s law will effectively ban hemp-based THC drinks a year from now, following a grace period. The loophole in the 2018 act has unintentionally led to the proliferation of ready-to-drink canned beverages infused with psychoactive hemp-based THC, mostly by way of a cannabinoid called Delta-9. Manufacturers have...

Last month’s NACS show in Chicago drew attendance of more than 25,000, according to organizers. Food and beverage manufacturers use the annual NACS show to unveil new products for convenience store operators from around the country as they prepare to reset shelves early next year. Beverage Digest attended NACS to report on next year’s introductions. Below is a selection of key products shown by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper and select other beverage companies...

Sixteen years ago this month, Coca-Cola launched the 7.5-oz mini can as a “great option for smaller thirst occasions, and for calorie-conscious consumers,” the company said at the time. Launched then in eight-packs, the mini can has since expanded to 6-packs, 10-packs, 24-packs, and even 30-packs, becoming a key format in US retail channels like...