The Hemp Food FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Hemp Foods

From: Boulder Hemp Company Inc.

What is Hemp?

Hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant that contains no psychoactive properties and is grown for fiber and seed production. Hemp can be used to make over 25,000 different products, including textiles, paper, paint, biofuel, particle board, plastics, cordage, and food.

Hemp fiber and its seed have a history of human use over 10,000 years old, but is currently illegal to cultivate in the U.S., making us the only industrialized country in the world that does not allow its farmers to grow this beneficial crop.

Can you eat hemp seed?
Yes! Hemp grain has been used throughout history as an abundant and nutritional food source. Hemp grain produces two distinct food products: oil and flour. The oil is made into salad dressings, soups, butter, and cheese. The flour can be used as a complement to wheat or corn flour to make breads, pancakes, pizza dough, cookies, and many other foods.
How do you process the grain?
The hemp grain that we use in our food products is imported from China and Canada and is sterilized so it will not grow. We press the hemp grain using a cold expeller press to extract the seed oil, which comprises 30% of the weight of the seed. After the oil has been removed, a seed “cake” remains. We grind and sift this cake to produce high-quality hemp flour.
How healthy is hemp grain?
Hemp grain is the most nutritionally complete seed on the planet for human consumption. Each hemp seed contains 25% protein. This protein is more easily digestible than the protein in soybeans because it contains a perfect ratio of essential fatty acids (EFA’s). EFA’s are important for strengthening your immune system and protecting you from disease. Fish oil and flax oil are also high in EFA’s, but hemp contains the most perfect ratio of EFA’s for human consumption. Hemp grain is also high in iron and calcium and is an excellent source of dietary fiber (click here to see more information regarding the health benefits of hemp seed).

What does it taste like?

Delicious! Hemp seeds have a nutty flavor. When processed into flour and mixed with wheat or corn flour, the taste of the seeds is subtle, but provides hemp foods with a hearty and healthy flavor. Some say it “tastes like freedom.”

Why not “de-hull” the hemp seeds?

The most nutritional benefits come from using the whole seed. Removing the shell, or “de-hulling”, hemp seeds has been touted by some food manufacturers to make the hemp seed less gritty and to reduce the possibility of using hemp seeds containing over the Canadian limit of 0.1% THC residue. BHC prefers to use the whole seed to process into flour, thereby maintaining the healthy fiber contained in the hull. Our grinding process produces a flour so fine as to eliminate any grittiness that might be present with less rigorous processing. And we preserve all of the dietary fiber, one of the main benefits of eating hemp food! De-hulling the seeds is an unnecessary and expensive process. Since we rely on licensed Canadian producers, we guarantee our products will not exceed the Canadian limit on THC residue and will not cause a positive urinalysis test for THC.

What are the legal issues involving hempfoods industries?

BHC makes hempfoods from freshly-ground hemp seed flour. The seed we use is grown from non-drug industrial hemp plants, and steam sterilized, in Canada. We may legally use sterilized seed. Title 21 (Food and Drugs) of the U.S. Code, Chapter 13 (Drug Abuse Prevention and Control), Section 802 (16) in its definition of “marihuana” exempts mature stalks of such plant, fiber provided from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil or cake or the sterilized seed of such plant, which is incapable of germination.” Since this definition was adopted in 1937, sterilized hemp seed has been legal in the U.S.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive chemical in Cannabis sativa. THC is found only in the leaves and flowers of medicinal Cannabis, not in industrial hemp, and not within the seeds themselves. Industrial hemp, as grown in Canada and Europe, is already non-drug, containing less than 0.3% THC in its leaves and flowers, far below the psychoactive threshold. Cannabis sold as a drug in the U.S. typically contains in excess of 4% to 20% THC. If the grain is not well-cleaned, some residue from the leaves may remain on the grain. The Canadian limit for THC residue on the grain is under 0.1% THC or 10 micrograms per gram. – a very low amount. All of our grain meets this Canadian requirement. However, the U.S. does not have any requirements for THC residue. Under federal law passed in 1937, the grain need only be sterilized to prevent growth in order to meet the U.S. legal requirements.

Could I ever test positive for THC in an urinalysis test after eating BHC hempfoods?

No! The seeds grown for hempfoods come from non-drug plants. The amounts of THC, if any, contained in the residue surrounding the seeds, are so infinitesimally small that they could not cause a person to test positive on any test for THC. However, this has not prevented some people from blaming hemp food consumption for their positive drug tests. The drug testing industry needs to develop standards for eliminating these bogus claims, much as they developed standards for people who claimed they tested positive for the presence of opiates caused by their consumption of poppy seeds. According to Don Wirtshafter of The Ohio Hempery Inc. (, “The issue is similar to poppy seeds affecting urine tests providing a false positive for heroin consumption. The urine testing industry has dealt with this issue by requiring a medical examination of any failed employee who claims poppy seeds as an excuse. Nobody has ever called for a ban on poppy seed imports.”

What is going on with the DEA?

On August 9, 1999, U.S. Customs, under orders from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, illegally seized a shipment of legal hemp grain coming into the U.S. from Canada. The grain was owned by Kenex (, Canada’s largest hemp producer. The DEA and U.S. Customs also illegally ordered several U.S. companies to return their seed meal, oil, hempseed nuts, granola bars, horse bedding and sterilized grain that they had previously received from Kenex.

For almost two months, the DEA and Customs refused to provide any written statement authorizing their actions. When the story finally became public at the beginning of October, the DEA released a statement to the press stating that, although sterilized Cannabis seed has “traditionally” been legal, they are now considering it to be a controlled substance if it contains any amount of THC. Now, under pressure from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Customs has issued new guidelines that makes hemp seed illegal to import if it contains any trace amount of THC.

We cannot stress enough the fact that the DEA’s actions were/are illegal. They are a federal enforcement agency, designed to enforce laws enacted by the legislative branch. They have no power to re-write the federal definition of marihuana, only Congress can do that. See for more information on this issue.

What is the DEA’s motivation?

Fear, power, and money drive the DEA to engage a well-orchestrated attempt to kill the developing hemp industry in the U.S. and Canada. Canada, which began commercial production of hemp in 1998, is relying on the U.S. market to consume 95% of its products. The U.S. hemp industry sells over $50 million dollars of hemp products a year and is growing rapidly.

The U.S. War on Cannabis consumes over $15 billion of U.S. taxpayer money every year, a large portion of which goes to the DEA. In short, the DEA is worried about their job security. Even though no one could get high from smoking industrial hemp leaves, let alone the residue around the seeds, the DEA is determined to ban hemp products completelyin the U.S.

The DEA is playing for keeps. They will not give in unless they receive an immense amount of pressure from your federal legislators or unless they are sued in federal court to stop their illegal actions. The Boulder Hemp Company is actively pursuing both of these avenues. We welcome your assistance.


Contact your federal legislators and ask them to stop the DEA from trying to illegally kill hemp industry. For more information on how to contact legislators see Please also forward copies of any letters you send to

Boulder Hemp Company Inc.

Manufacturer of Heavenly Hemp Tortilla Chips in four tasty flavors (blue corn, yellow corn, garlic, and spicy).

Try some today and find out why we say they “Taste like Freedom!”

Ordering information:

P.O. Box 1794

Nederland, CO 80466

Phone: 1-888-EAT-HEMP

Fax: (303) 443-1869



GMOs vs Healthy Hemp Food

Green Festival LA: Interview with John Roulac GMO Inside

John W. Roulac is the CEO of the health food company Nutiva, and they are a great example of the future and potential of hemp foods, along with the other Organic and non-GMO foods that are becoming more and more popular everyday.

One of the great things about trying to convince people that hemp is good food, is the fact that most hemp products really do taste great. People want to eat better, so they feel better, and live longer, and they want that food to taste better while they’re doing it.

There is no question that we will see the hemp foods market grow hand-in-hand other organic and non-GMO foods. As the amount of mass-produced over-processed Food Products shrink, they will be replaced by fresh, locally grown crops. Local farmers won’t be shipping their flash frozen crops across the sea, they’ll be driving them down the road to the local market where their neighbors will buy them.

Gimmie Some Water

Is solar-powered desalination answer to water independence for California?

From a sustainability perspective, the upside of the technology is huge. The US federal government is currently pumping in about seven million-acre feet of water into California’s Central Valley every year. Replacing a “meaningful percentage” of that figure – say, 20%-30% – would be enough to have a dramatic impact on securing water security for the area, says WaterFX’s Mandell.

The implications for sustainable agriculture are also vast. After a successful proof of concept stage, Sundrop is now building a 20-acre greenhouse, which promises to produce 2.8m kg of tomatoes and 1.2m kg of pepper a year. As well as making desert land productive, Sundrop maintains that its approach reduces pesticide use, cuts food miles and results in better tasting produce.

The arguments from a climate-change perspective appear especially attractive. Saudi Arabia’s 30 or so desalination plants, for instance, currently use about 300,000 barrels of crude oil equivalent a day. The trend in other Gulf countries, as well as in Algeria and Libya, is similar. “The status quo is not sustainable,” concludes the World Bank, which describes the elimination of fossil fuel use in desalination as “critical”.

My home state of California is proudly leading the way to a sustainable future by building on our homegrown agriculture and technology industries.

The next step will be using the vast power of the pacific ocean for tidal energy and clean water via solar desalinization.

If its good enough for Saudi Arabia, it’s good enough for America!

The GMOs And The Damage Done

GMOs linked to gluten disorders plaguing 18 million Americans – report

Dr. Tom O’Bryan, internationally recognized expert on gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease, says that “the introduction of GMOs is highly suspect as a candidate to explain the rapid rise in gluten-related disorders over the last 17 years.”

Internist, Emily Linder, offered some backup for the report’s findings. She removed GMO from her patients’ diets, finding that recovery from intestinal diseases was faster and more complete.

“I believe that GMOs in our diet contribute to the rise in gluten-sensitivity in the US population,” Linder said in the release.

You are what you eat, but everyday we are fed bullshit that convinces us to eat crap, and wake up surprised that we feel like shit.

I’m no health nut, but even I know the best thing you can do for your body is to know what you’re putting into it. Stop eating poison, and start eating real food. A bad diet, full of over processed sugar and carbs will sap your will to live, throw in a massive dose of GMO pesticides and you’ll really wish you were dead.

Or you could eat one of the most nutritious foods on earth: Hemp seeds, which need don’t need pesticides.



One man’s dream…

The Cost of Living on this planet is based on the cost of our forced dependence on petrochemical products controlled by corrupt dictatorships and protected by $1 Trillion a year of American weapons and soldiers.

Imagine if those soldiers were farmers growing the Hemp “The Trillion Dollar Crop” to supply the people of America with all the food, fiber, fuel, and oil we need to thrive, just like our forefathers did.

As the old saying goes: “One man’s dream is a multi-national petrochemical corporation’s nightmare!”

Sign our White House Hemp Petition:

KY Hemp (small)

Poison vs. Profits

The Boy With a Thorn in His Joints –

At six weeks — to the day — Shepherd woke up and, for the first time in months, got out of bed himself. I’d gone into his room to help, as I did every morning, and found him standing in his pajamas. “Mommy,” he said, “my knees don’t hurt anymore.” He was probably wearing the pajamas with the skateboarding monkeys. Beau was probably groggy, still in bed. Honestly, I really don’t know. When I think of it, there’s only Shepherd, standing there, not crying. I was too stunned to say anything back before he scampered out to the kitchen for breakfast. Within several months his arthritis pain was gone.

Gluten is a killer. Hemp seeds are a life saver. Guess which one is banned by the Federal Government?

Hemp: The Presidential Plant

Hemp: The Detoxifying Herb That Even George Washington Grew

Hemp was, at one time, as American as apple pie. The first currency was printed on hemp paper. Hemp flour, hemp oil, hemp seeds and hemp fiber were an invaluable part of American society. The English colonists at Jamestown cultivated hemp in the 1600’s and used the fiber for rope, clothing, linen, rugs and even sails. No doubt hemp seed and oil were an integral part of the early settlement kitchen and medicine cabinet. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both grew hemp.

President Washington urged his fellow citizens to “Make the most of Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
President Jefferson declared “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country.”

But what do they know?

Hemp For Victory Petition

We the People: Support Industrial Hemp

If you’re tired of government gridlock and looking for real solutions to our economic problems, this is your lucky day!

PLEASE SIGN AND PASS ON THIS WHITE HOUSE PETITION supporting bipartisan efforts for real agricultural reform. The economic potential of industrial hemp for every state of our union is huge, and closer than ever to becoming a reality, but we need 100,000 signatures in the next 30 days to get a response from the White House. So, stop complaining about the economy and tell Congress and the White House to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Seriously. Do it. Left Wing or Right Wing. Red State or Blue State. Hemp could be the first Trillion Dollar Crop.

Can hemp save the economy?

The American hemp industry, revived in the 1990s in a wave of cannabis-fueled environmentalism, now sells $450 million a year of products from hemp-oil soap to hemp-coned speakers for guitar amplifiers, according to an industry trade group. Yet all the raw material used for these products, from fiber to hempseed oil, has to be imported, as it’s still illegal to grow hemp in the United States.

Heart of seeds