By: Pauline Patacsil
The Air Force bans Chobani’s Greek Yogurt from being consumed by its service members. Concerns were raised because the yogurt contained hemp seeds.
The Air Force prohibited personnel from consuming Chobani Greek Yogurt. The product has a blend of hemp seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. The fear is that the yogurt will expose members of the military to THC.
In the United States, hemp is legal as long as it follows the regulations of the Food and Drug Administration. Hemp must contain less than 1% of a psychoactive compound called Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is also short for THC. In addition, THC can be found in drugs such as LSD, heroin, and marijuana.
However, not all flavors from the popular brand were banned. The Air Force confirmed that specifically one flavor should be avoided, which was the Blueberry Power Flip.
“The Air Force has not restricted military members from consuming Chobani Greek yogurt; rather, only Chobani yogurt that contains hemp seed or hemp seed oil is prohibited, just as any product which contains or is derived from hemp seed or hemp seed oil is prohibited,” said legal adviser for the Air Force Drug Test Laboratory, Capt. Adam Koudelka, in an interview made by Brian Everstine, writer for the Air Force Times.
Though hemp has nutritional value such as fibers, vitamins, and antioxidants, it still raises major concerns for the military. It is believed that the consumption of Chobani’s Blueberry Power Flip would possibly result in false positives for THC. However, a nonprofit organization called Vote Hemp did a study that found out that eating half a pound of hemp seeds would not affect drug tests.
Shortly after the Air Force banned the Blueberry Power Flip flavor, the Chobani company announced that it would be making plans to remove the hemp seeds in their Blueberry Power Flip yogurt in order to follow the Air Force’s strict anti-drug policy.
Tritons Call 