Let's Talk Hemp Grain at the Asia International Hemp Expo In this episode of the Let's Talk Hemp podcast, I had the pleasure of hosting a second live session from the third annual Asia International Hemp Expo. We delved into the fascinating world of hemp grain and its myriad applications, from human food and animal feed to cosmetics and biofuels.
Let's Talk Hemp Grain at the Asia International Hemp Expo
In this episode of the Let's Talk Hemp podcast, I had the pleasure of hosting a second live session from the third annual Asia International Hemp Expo. We delved into the fascinating world of hemp grain and its myriad applications, from human food and animal feed to cosmetics and biofuels.
I kicked off the discussion by highlighting the nutritional benefits of hemp seeds, which have been consumed for thousands of years and are rich in protein, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. Our guest, Joe Hickey from the United States, shared insights into the current challenges surrounding hemp in the animal feed sector, particularly the stringent regulations regarding THC levels. He emphasized the absurdity of the two parts per million (PPM) limit set by the FDA, which is not based on scientific evidence and creates significant barriers for the industry.
We also welcomed Waris Salah from Thailand, who discussed the burgeoning hemp cosmetics industry in the country. She shared her experiences in developing hemp seed oil products that have already received FDA approval in Thailand, highlighting the potential for hemp in both the cosmetic and food sectors.
Throughout the episode, we explored the opportunities for hemp as a superfood and the importance of building a sustainable industry. We discussed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to overcome regulatory hurdles and expand the market for hemp products.
As we wrapped up, I encouraged listeners to consider the benefits of hemp and the importance of supporting this emerging industry. We concluded with a call to action for everyone involved to work together to create a thriving hemp market that can positively impact health and the environment. Thank you for tuning in, and I look forward to our next episode where we will discuss hemp-derived cannabinoids!
Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends. I'm glad you could attend. Again, you are listening to the Let's Talk Hemp podcast. I am your host, Morris Beagle. Welcome to the show.
: Right. So welcome to Let's Talk Hemp with Maurice.
undefined: Well, thank you, Didi. And thank all of you for showing up here and participating in the third annual Asia International Hemp Expo. This is the live Let's Talk Hemp podcast, which isn't actually, it's live here. We'll record it and then we're putting it up on YouTube. So it'll be up here within the next day or so, but thank you all for coming. Uh, yesterday we talked about hemp fiber. Today we're going to talk about hemp grain and the grain and products and applications that go along with that from human feed or human food. I should say animal feed, uh, cosmetics, biofuels, there's so many things that can be made from the hemp seed. And that's what we're going to talk about today. I do want to give one shout out here to Her Many Voices, which is my show sponsor, hermanyvoices.org, where indigenous wisdom meets grassroots activism to protect all of Earth's children. So with that, we're going to get going with a guest from the United States, from Kentucky, Mr. Joe Hickey, and then our Thailand guest.
: You're a pharmacist? Waris Salah will join us for this session. So today is going to be the great topic because hemp seed is actually not a lot of people understand deeply about it. So we're going to talk about it clear now here.
undefined: Yeah, so we've been eating hemp seeds as a species for thousands of years. It's an ingredient that can go into almost any type of food from breads to cereals to anything that you see on the shelf that's got wheat or corn or soy. Hemp could be an alternative ingredient. It's very healthy, high in protein, high in amino acids, perfect balance of amino Our perfect balance was omega-3, 6, and 9. So it's a great ingredient for human food and for our health, as well as our animals. And that's, I think, one thing that Joe's going to talk a bit about. He's been working on the animal feed side of things for a long time. Joe works in all kinds of aspects of the hemp industry. But today, I think, probably on the animal feed side is one thing that's been a hot topic in the United States and something that Joe's intimately involved with.
: Yes. Talking about the animal feed, this is another aspect that I think is a lot of focus right now, especially in Thailand, that we are trying to move forward to the animal section, that not a lot of understanding and policy and everything is in place yet for the animal, but we are learning and we are also trying to put everything in place for the animal sector. So maybe Joe will give us more details about this? Is this on? It's on. It's on.
undefined: Is it on? Okay. Yeah. Um, in, in the United States right now, uh, you know, we're not allowed to feed animals, uh, hemp meal that, uh, is above two PPM, which is two parts per million of THC. Right. So, um, the issue that we're having right now is, the hemp feed coalition did a three-year study spent six hundred thousand dollars and Got approved to feed laying hens so if they want to get bowlers and It's going to take another three years another six hundred thousand dollars to get them approved the same thing is going to be for pigs Sheep any other animal has to go through all the same the protocol that they're doing now And the reason they're having to do that is because when the the grass certification Which is generally accepted as safe for food? When that program was put in place, they grandfathered in all the other grains. They grandfathered in corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, and everything else, but they didn't approve or grandfather in hemp because it was illegal back then. So simply because it didn't get grandfathered in, you know, 30 or 40 years ago when the program started, Now they're having to deal with this issue, which is absolutely crazy because even when you're talking about if we got all the animals approved for two parts per million, people don't understand what two parts per million is. I mean, if you ask somebody, how would you describe two parts per million, they couldn't do it for you. But the way that you can imagine is think of two inches, and then it's 2 ppm is 2 inches in 15.78 miles. So if you got in the car and we're driving 60 mile an hour, it would take you almost 16 minutes to get to that point. And those last two inches would be the 2 ppm. So it's absolutely ridiculous. And what we're going to probably end up having to do when you get a federal agency like that, that is making rules, not based in science, you have to challenge them. And so we have started an organization called the American Hemp Farmers Defense Fund, and we're going to raise money to challenge this two PPM ruling by the FDA in federal court. So, you know, hopefully we'll succeed. And the one thing we don't want to do is have other countries like these other countries seem to look at the United States and say, OK, we're going to do what the United States does. Don't follow the science. Don't follow what's happening in the United States because they're making these rules that are not based on science or not based on the real world application for hemp feed.
: I eat it every day. 2 ppm how you tested it?
undefined: Well, you can't really, you can't test two PPM per, yeah, per million. And so I think people need to understand that with the animal feed market in the United States, we allow like 30 parts per million of lead and arsenic and heavy metals and also mycotoxins at higher levels than just trace amounts of THC, and even CBD, they set CBD at 20 parts per million. And just so you know, when hemp is to differentiate from marijuana at 0.3%, that's actually 3,000 parts per million. So we're just talking this minuscule amount, trace amount of THC or CBD where there is no science that says any of this is harmful or an adulterant or anything when actually these are phytonutrients and they're beneficial and I think that the science and all the anecdotal evidence that's out there proves this, but we've got a rogue agency that is captured by special interests that sets these These these amounts where big companies like Purdue who makes you know God knows how many chickens and stuff like that? Why would you want to jump through the hoops to try to add this? to your animal feed ingredient when it would just be so costly and so expensive. It's like, we're not going to do that. We're not interested. It creates an obstacle before we even get the industry going.
undefined: So the other thing about the FDA is the FDA oversees tobacco and tobacco is killing 380,000 people a year in the United States. And then you look at all of these drug companies that are regulated by the FDA. And all you have to do is turn on your television. I don't know if they're allowed to do it here.
undefined: There's only two countries in the world that allow drug advertising, and that's the United States and New Zealand. Nobody else can advertise all these pharmaceutical drugs.
undefined: And so you think about it, in the United States, we listen to these drug things, the commercials, and they talk about the attributes of whatever the drug is. And then afterwards, they say, could cause, you know, heart damage, lung damage, constipation, you know, and at the end it says a chance of death. That makes no sense whatsoever when they're allowing drugs that have the potential of killing yourself, but they don't allow THC in feed. It's beyond unbelievable.
: Unbelievable, yeah. But it's very different in Thailand because maybe the policy is not in yet, especially for the animal sector, so we don't have that testing or the level of testing in place yet. So it's still okay in terms of trial process.
undefined: Don't follow our lead.
: Yeah, don't follow U.S. So I hope that everyone who involved will tell the government for this because it will come out soon for the animal sector. So I hope that it's not going to be like this kind of number to PPM. Yeah.
undefined: Yeah, there's one thing with National Industrial Hemp Council, myself, Patrick, and others, when we're going to these other countries, we're strongly advising, we're doing things incorrectly in the United States. Don't do this because it isn't based in science and look at doing this model. I mean, we're here as global facilitators to try to build an industry where we can all participate and we can all benefit and we can grow this crop anywhere so it can make an impact locally. So again, like Joe said, don't listen to our lead, especially on animal feed.
: Understand that. And you have to make it realistic and practical in the way of real using. Yeah.
undefined: Well, let's move on and talk a little bit about cosmetics and the use of hemp seed oil over here, what you're doing.
: Yeah. Pharmacist Verisala is actually from the Orchid Garden Salon, so she has been developing the process of doing the hemp seed oil, and already approved for the FDA in Thailand, and also bring that to further produce for all the food sector, supplement, and also cosmetic. So, please tell us more about it.
undefined: Yes, I'm from the industry of cosmetics, so I'm bringing some of cosmetic products such as shampoo or conditioner or shower gel and also have in supplementary like protein shake. Protein shake? Yes, it also has a lot of substance in there, omega 3, omega 6, something like that. And about the recreation in Thai, it has contain less than 0.2% weight by weight about THC in cosmetic products.
: 0.2. Yeah, this is what we follow right now. 0.2 THC.
undefined: Oh, 0.2. So that's 2,000 parts per million.
: Yeah, so that makes sense.
undefined: Well, yeah, that's attainable. That's not an issue.
undefined: Yes, and so you can make some of products, some hemp seed oil, maybe a lot to like 100% in the formula. Yes, but not less than, about THC, not less than 0.2%.
: Yeah, so just only the laceration that we restrict in Thailand right now, you can use all the hemp seed oil, no matter what weight you want to put in, but the percentage of the THC must not be more than 0.2%. Yeah, so hemp seed oil you can put as much as you can.
undefined: You're talking the 0.2% THC, but your law here in Thailand is 1% when it's growing in the field, is that correct?
: Yeah, 1% in the field, but 0.2 for cosmetic and supplement.
undefined: And some of like oral product is less than 0.2 to 1%. Because it has more danger than we use on the skin or outer body.
: So it means that it's on the application. So oral product, it is the number… Like a toothpaste, about 0.001%. 0.001% TSC? Yes. For the oral?
undefined: Which is one part per million, is that correct? Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah. So then we're getting down to four.
: Yeah, but for outside, you use for like skin, yeah, that is 0.2%. Yes.
undefined: And maybe I'm talking about like Thai traditional medicine. So we use in the treatment like making about the pain, pain relief or relax something. So we mixing with the other carrier oil, such as like a coconut oil or olive oil. Yes. Do you, can you hear about the Shirodala, something like that? Shirodala. make a lot of oil of hemp seed. Yes. For make you better skin nourishing.
: One of the formula in Thailand is called Shiro Dala. Yeah. So it's from the Thai traditional medicine.
undefined: Yeah. Do you have any of that product here on the floor?
: Maybe about like food. So that product already you have it show here in the show?
undefined: Yes.
: At the booth, right?
undefined: Ah, yes, yes.
: At the booth, at Tita booth.
undefined: Oh, perfect. Yeah, I haven't seen that yet, so we'll stop by after the show.
undefined: You're welcome. For the food sector? Yeah, for the food sector, so we use like supplementary, so you can eat like a soft gelatin. Yes, so we have a lot of product in Thailand now because we have nourishing more and more substance in there. If we compare about CBD oil, CBD oil is more expensive than use hemp seed oil, but hemp seed oil can eat easily, yes, and small ship then.
: So what you mean is that right now the current situation of Thailand, we are register all the product under the category of supplement more, because if we want to FDA according to the medicine, it will be more difficult if we require like trial process, clinical trial and everything. So most of the products now are registered under supplement category, and supplement category that she's saying is we have both now for CBD, contain CBD and also contain of the hemp seed oil. But what she's saying that with the hemp seed oil are more cheaper in the cost of production, but the benefit they can get from the hemp seed oil is quite good.
undefined: Are you growing hemp grain here in Thailand that you're using for your products or is this hemp grain coming in from other parts of the world?
undefined: Oh, we use another third party in Thailand.
: Mostly from the Royal Project Foundation that they grow the hemp right now for the hemp seed as well. But it's not that much production.
undefined: Are you taking out the chlorophyll because I used to use hemp oil all the time and it would get on the collars of my shirt and change the color. So are you taking out the chlorophyll for your products? Are you leaving the chlorophyll in?
undefined: For about a cosmetic product, we use a process like squeeze and cold process. It also contains the green color and make a lot of sense of the Yes, but we use just a little bit of person in the formula. Yes.
: Yeah, it's still cauliflower there. Yeah, because they do extract it through the whole process. But what we believe in the Thai traditional formulation, the cauliflower is part of the formulation that they put in, but they put in small amount together with other herbs.
undefined: Are there any like hemp food brands in Thailand that are doing kind of traditional like bars and protein powders and that sort of thing here?
: I believe that it's starting. They start to explore on that portion to deliver out the product. But as you say that the raw material are not that much right now in Thailand.
undefined: And can you import that from other countries, or can you not import any hemp at all?
: For the hemp seed, we can import.
undefined: You can import that? Yes. Well, just so everybody knows out there, one thing that seems to be lacking here is starting a hemp food brand. And we really need more hemp food brands all around the world. We've got some in the United States, we've got a bunch in Canada, we've got a bunch in Europe. Hemp is such an amazing superfood that that is a market opportunity that most countries are missing out on right now. So I would encourage anybody who likes good superfoods to look at starting a hemp food brand here in Thailand.
: Actually, it's a good portion to expand in Thailand because it's not many, so it's still the opportunity.
undefined: Well, you know, when it comes to food, what a lot of people don't know is back in the 18, probably the 14, 15, 16 hundreds, the poor people were eating gruel. And this gruel was supposed to be like, you know, if you were eating gruel, it was like you were a poor guy. it ends up those guys were probably eating better than anybody because what gruel was was a ground up hemp seed and they would put it in water and cook it and make a porridge out of it. So these guys, you know, were eating, you know, hemp back in the day. and were probably eating better than the people that were living up in the castles and stuff. So that's a history in hemp food that people have lost and they don't know about it.
: Yeah, they don't notice about it at that time, probably.
undefined: So we don't have a lot of time here. We're going to open up the floor to some questions if anybody has any questions regarding hemp seeds, hemp cosmetics, hemp foods, hemp biofuels.
: Anyone?
undefined: Please, raise your hand. Who's got a question? Somebody's got a question. Okay, this young lady here in the front row. Hemp biofuels. So, We all know that we can make biofuels from crops, and hemp has yet to really exploit this, but there's several people that have done research around the world, and there's a group in the United States out of Colorado, the New West Genetics, who've created a hybrid variety of seed that produces between 2,000 and 2,500 pounds per acre, which more than doubles the traditional yield from from hemp seed, which is more 800 to 1,000 pounds per acre. And so their emphasis is creating biofuels for the aviation industry. And taking that, and they'll have all this leftover meal, which then would go into the animal feed market. So their approach is creating Genetic they've already created the genetic that will produce high amounts of biofuel That's perfect for the aviation industry the aviation industry is are looking for alternative Inputs and alternative fuels seems like hemp would be a good fit for that But you have to grow it at scale and then if you grow it at scale and you have a higher yield Farmer can make money Sell it into the aviation industry in this byproduct from all this seed cake after taking the oil out of it can go straight into the animal feed market. And so there is this emphasis, it goes back to animal feed. It's a byproduct of what's going to go into human feed or what's going to go into the biofuels market. And it's a tremendous opportunity if we can get the regulations correct.
undefined: Well, the thing that a lot of people don't understand about biofuels is hemp would be a great biodiesel. The challenge is going to be growing enough of it to bring the price down because right now a gallon of hemp oil is like $30 or $40. Organic is up around $50. So it's hard to compete With you know, the commercialized is not gonna work for the price Yeah, so, you know what happens what there's another way of looking at it too because you can take the biomass and It's same thing with with corn, you know, you can make a biomass you can make fuel out of it but you know when it comes to the seed, you know, it's gonna take a lot of a lot of acreage to bring the price down, which I think it will. And it's going to be a specialty market, but it'll be a big one, especially with the military, because those guys can afford anything.
undefined: And all of this is subsidized anyway. Corn's subsidized for that, and the fossil fuel industry has been subsidized for the last hundred years. All of this stuff gets subsidized by the government, and you might as well subsidize hemp because it's going to be better for the environment. It's going to be better for all these byproducts as well. And we need a piece of that pie.
: Right. Yeah, that's true. And also what she's saying before for the cosmetic side, when you do the costing of it, hemp's still higher than other of the alternative ingredients. But we're all here to help build up that because We know the benefit of hemp, that it will work well as a solution, but everyone needs to get involved to expand the production.
undefined: Yeah, and the cosmetic industry is really going to grow because hemp oil is a great base for any kind of facial cream, you know, anything that, it's not, most of the stuff that you get out there now is petroleum-based. Right. And we need to get away from it. you know, the petroleum base and go back to the natural, you know, the natural stuff that our skin really likes more than the petroleum stuff.
: Right. Yeah. Any other more questions, please?
undefined: Yes. Going once. Yeah. Going twice.
: You got a chance now. Anyone would like to ask more questions?
undefined: Yeah. Oh, we got one. Yeah, we got one. Young lady here. One there and one here.
: OK? OK. We have one here as well.
undefined: Yeah. So thank you for giving opportunity to me. I have a question about the superfood that concerned about the hemp. Because in Thailand, normally we heard about for the food, we use the hemp for the ingredients, like to making a cookie, something like that. And what about the opportunity about the superfood with ham to be the kind of some ingredient or some of a part, something that is going to be mixed? So how about the opportunity products and how about the opportunity marketing? Especially for Thailand, because as we know, Thailand has a lot of ingredients, and ham is a wonderful solution. We can make it better. So what about your opinion about the vision of the ham for the superfood one? Thank you.
undefined: Yes. In my opinion, I think the cosmetic grade, we use a lot of like hemp seed oil because it has similar moisturizer with vitamin E, something like that. And we use a lot of hemp seed in the seed of hemp. Yes. And I think it's more sustained and good for Thailand in this trend now. Yes. And I think if we use hemp seed oil, and separate the seed by product, we can make something supplementary after that.
: Yes. So what you mean is that it's still a huge opportunity and this sector is not a lot of players in the industry yet. So it will be a great opportunity for Thailand to explore on this portion for the food sector and also for the supplement and also for the cosmetic.
undefined: Yeah, Joe? As far as superfood, that's pretty much my breakfast every day, and one of the superfoods I use is hemp protein. And so I use a protein powder, and then I always add in a couple teaspoons of hemp oil. So when you're talking about superfoods, hemp is a great, you know, pillar of, for your health that you're not going to find anywhere else. I think a lot of people are moving away from The other sources of protein and going more with a plant-based protein, so I think that market is is really a untouched jewel in the protein section
: Yeah, and one more thing that I would like to add, if doing with the hemp seed oil or hemp seed powder, it's actually easier than the cannabinoid side, because for the cannabinoid side, you're talking about CBD or other substantial, you're talking about regulation that you need to involve more, more than the hemp seed.
undefined: Yeah, it's the same thing in the United States too, where Hemp seeds have been grass, which is generally recognized as safe for 30 years or so. And it should have been a lot longer, but that's what it is. So cannabinoids create this whole other regulatory thing that just complicates being into the marketplace. And I guess to end on this, that there's great opportunities for hemp as an ingredient here in Thailand moving forward, whether that's in the food side of things or it's in the cosmetic side of things.
: Thank you. And one more question here. Oh. The microphone.
undefined: He's sprinting to you. Thank you.
undefined: So yeah. In the United States, how would you say, because most of the products made from hemp compared to the traditional ones that are actually out in the market right now, we can clearly say that the product made out from hemp would actually be a bit pricey compared to what we have in the market right now. So, like in the United States, how do the hemp industry cope up with it to, you know, like consumers to
undefined: It's a premium product at this point until we can scale the industry and grow enough material It's going to be a premium product. It's just like hemp clothing is more expensive than cotton clothing or synthetic polyester clothing hemp construction materials or more expensive hemp bioplastics are more expensive than petroleum bioplastics. And until we can grow enough material and process it in a way that's efficient and drive the cost down, it's gonna be a premium.
undefined: And I think the other way to look at it is, you know, what's the cost of good health? You know, if you're looking at, you know, are you gonna buy something that has pesticides and herbicides in it? You know, I always thought it's interesting when you go and order a steak, uh, it's $20. But if you order a steak that doesn't have any antibiotics or steroids in it, it's $30. So, you know, you get, you get the extra, you get the extra, uh, ingredients of, you know, the, the, the stuff that you don't want and you're paying less for it. And if you, the stuff that you really like that doesn't have all of the ingredients in it that are toxic, it costs more. So I think we're in a kind of upside down world and we need to look at what's the cost of good health and think of what you're saving on health care if you're really feeding the citizens of your population of your country. It's like in the United States. We spend more money on healthcare than any other nation, and we are sicker, and our lifespan in the United States is less than just about any other country. But we've got the most expensive healthcare that's, you know, basically killing us.
: Right. So, back to what Maurice is saying, that we need to build the industry up, so that's why we can make everything more in place, but I believe that eventually we will get there, so we need a lot of cooperation to build this part up.
undefined: And that's why events like this are so important, to bring like-minded people together, stakeholders together, and organizations like TIDA are really important for this area of the world, where you can join the organization, get, you know, conversations with like-minded people and help drive an industry that can make a real positive difference and allow people to create businesses in a brand new industry that, again, can change the world.
: That's right, that's correct. So, working together, it works.
undefined: Yeah, working together works. Some guy says that all the time. It's not this guy, but it's some guy.
: It's kind of be the motto for everybody now. Yeah, working together works.
undefined: And in unity, there is victory.
: Yes. So this is what we are talking about now for the hemp industry. So I hope that all the listeners and all the audience here will help support.
undefined: Thanks, everyone, for coming out. Really appreciate it. And thanks to Asia International Hemp Expo. Enjoy the show. And we'll be back here tomorrow at 12 o'clock again. We'll be talking about hemp-derived cannabinoids.
: Thank you very much.
undefined: Thanks to the guests. Yeah. Thanks. Thanks, DeeDee. Thanks, man.