The seeds for the modern-era hemp industry in the USA were planted in the 1990s. In this series marking Hemp History Month, June 2021, consultant and American hemp pioneer dips into his archive to mark milestones of the decade. Installments in this series will run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the month.
1992: Putting hemp food in the spotlight
Lynn and Judy Osburn were the first to write about hempseed as food that I know of. Alan was the first to make hempseed ice cream that I know of. While both used whole hempseed, my vision was to shell it in order to increase the nutrition and palatability. Dr Udo Erasmus was the source for the “hempseed oil has the perfect ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids,” which he later recanted. Americans eat way too much omega-6 and precious little omega-3, so the “perfect” ratio would be closer to flaxseed’s 10:1. – Richard Rose
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