Method development and ring trial for the determination of CBD and illicit cannabinoids in food and cosmetic products

The Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of BEIS, awarded a contract to LGC Ltd to validate and assess the performance of methods developed by the LGC Ltd to determine cannabidiol (CBD) and illicit cannabinoid content in consumer products, specifically oral food supplements and cosmetic products, and ensure adequate UK testing capability by means of a ring trial.

Additional information: The test methods have been developed in-house by LGC Ltd and have already been demonstrated to be fit for purpose across complex food and cosmetic products. This project aims to validate LGC's methods to feed in to potential future UK standards. Once validated by this project, these methods will be published and a ring trial will allow other test houses to demonstrate proficiency and offer a similar service for content verification and wider market surveillance purposes in the future. The ring trial is an open call for laboratories to participate.

OPSS are therefore relying on Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 "Competition is absent for technical reasons" in deciding this requirement is suitable as a Direct Award.