Chobani to remove hemp seeds from yogurt following US Air Force ban

27-Aug-2013 - Last updated on 28-Aug-2013 at 09:54 GMT

Chobani has vowed to remove hemp seeds from its Blueberry Power Flip Greek yogurt pots, after the US Air Force banned consumption of the product over concerns about the seeds' potential to produce false positive drug test results.

Air Force Times reported yesterday that the US Air Force had ordered personnel not to eat the 150g Greek yogurt product, because of fears about levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - an active ingredient of marijuana - in the hemp seeds.

The consumption of hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, and products made with hemp seed oil by US Air Force personnel is prohibited, as ingestion of these products could lead to a false positive during drug tests, the US Air Force claims.

thc — Hemp seeds contains low levels of THC, an active ingredient of marijuana.

In response to the Air Force ban, Chobani has confirmed plans to reformulate its Blueberry Power Flip product, which contains a variety of ingredients including blueberries, walnuts, whole chia seeds, and “hulled hemp seeds.”

In a statement sent to DairyReporter.com, New York-based Chobani confirmed that “the process of removing" hulled hemp seeds from its Blueberry Power Flip yogurt is underway.

“Recently, we’ve heard some concerns from the military community about Chobani products containing hemp seeds, and want to set the record straight,” said the statement.

“Except for Blueberry Power Chobani Flip, no Chobani product contains hemp seeds. However, we’re committed to giving our fans what they want and are in the process of removing this ingredient from our Blueberry Power Chobani Flip. We greatly respect our armed forces and take price in serving our troops,” it added.

Despite its reformulation plans, Chobani has played down concerns about the presence of hemp seeds in its Blueberry Power Flip product.

The company told Air Force Times that the product contains no more than one part per million (ppm) of THC – significantly less than the 50 parts per billion (ppb) per 100 grams that would be required for someone to fail a US Air Force drugs test.