Hemp Seed Identity, Food and Planting Evidence

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-16Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$1.1K

Producing countries tracked

11

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

5

Trade corridors

6

Latest reviewed evidence

USDA NASS reported 7.26 million pounds of United States open-field hemp grain and 2.03 million pounds of hemp grown for seed in 2025, treating those as separate production lanes. FDA's GRN 765 record concerns dehulled or hulled hemp seed as a food ingredient; the reviewed notifier specification lists THC at no more than 4 micrograms per gram. The European Union sets a 3.0 milligram-per-kilogram maximum for delta-9-THC equivalents in hemp seeds and the same maximum for named processed seed products other than oil. Health Canada separately distinguishes viable grain, non-viable Cannabis seed and planting seed and attaches different licensing or exemption consequences to the form and activity. These are dated crop observations and jurisdiction- or use-specific controls, not lot certificates, current availability or a live physical price.

United States open-field hemp grain production

7.26

million pounds · 2025

United States open-field hemp production for seed

2.03

million pounds · 2025

EU hemp-seed delta-9-THC-equivalent ceiling

3

milligrams per kilogram, maximum · Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915, consolidated text accessed 2026-09-16

EU THCA conversion factor for delta-9-THC equivalents

0.877

multiplier applied to delta-9-THCA · Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915, consolidated text accessed 2026-09-16

FDA GRN 765 notifier hulled-hemp-seed THC specification

4

micrograms per gram, maximum · GRN 765 closed December 20, 2018

Planting seed, viable grain and food seed are separate lanes

USDA NASS reports hemp grain and hemp grown for seed separately. Health Canada also distinguishes seed represented or used for sowing, viable grain used for processing and non-viable Cannabis seed. Atlas fixes intended use and viability first, then records cultivar and certification for planting seed, or food and processing evidence for grain and non-viable seed. A grain observation does not establish planting performance, and a planting-seed label does not establish food suitability.

Whole, non-viable and hulled seed keep their processing history

Hulling removes the outer covering; rendering seed non-viable changes propagation status; cleaning and conditioning can affect both identity and intended use. FDA's GRN 765 concerns a defined dehulled food ingredient manufactured consistently with the notice. Atlas records whole or hulled form, viability or sterilization method, cleaning and treatment, broken-seed fraction, moisture, foreign material, food or planting use and lot linkage rather than transferring one form's specification to another.

THC and germination evidence belong to the tested lot and intended use

The European Union food maximum uses delta-9-THC equivalents and the stated THCA conversion factor, while the GRN 765 notifier specification is expressed as THC for its hulled seed ingredient. Planting seed additionally needs applicable varietal identity, purity and germination evidence. Atlas retains the destination rule, analyte definition, sampling plan, laboratory, method, result, unit, detection and quantification limits, lot and test date; a field-crop result, published threshold or cultivar name does not certify the offered seed lot.

A crop total or seed threshold does not establish a delivered hemp-seed price

Production totals and regulatory limits cannot establish actual viability, cultivar, purity, germination, hulling yield, moisture, food safety, treatment, package condition, current availability, freight or destination compliance. A delivered comparison still needs current permitted observations for the exact planting, grain, non-viable or hulled-seed product, tested lot, origin, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, route costs and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are hemp planting seed and hemp grain interchangeable?

No. Planting seed requires applicable varietal identity, certification, purity and germination evidence. Grain is produced for processing or food and cannot be assumed suitable or authorized for sowing.

Are whole and hulled hemp seed the same product?

No. Hulling changes the traded form, edible yield, handling, sampling and food specification. Each lot must retain its actual processing and identity evidence.

Does a compliant hemp crop prove hulled seed meets food THC rules?

No. Crop testing and finished-food testing have different sampled materials and may use different analyte definitions and jurisdictional limits. The offered food lot needs destination-specific evidence.

Which fields make hemp-seed offers comparable?

Cannabis sativa L. identity, cultivar, planting, grain-processing or food use, viable, rendered non-viable, whole or hulled form, crop and harvest dates, certification, purity and germination where applicable, moisture and foreign material, THC and THCA method and result, food contaminants and microbiology, treatment, package and lot, origin, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.