ONCE MALIGNED HEMP MAY BE THE NEW SOY

VICTORIA - Fashion runways aren't the only places you can spot trends. You
can also find them strolling down supermarket aisles.

The latest one offered up by the food industry is hemp. Fans say hemp is
poised to become the new soy, and if Vitamin Shop customer Joanie Anderson
is any indication, they might be right.

"I used to use soy in my morning shake, but I read on the Internet that it
might interfere with my thyroid medication so I switched to hemp," says
Anderson.

Hemp has been around for years -- as far back as 8000 BC. But most
consumers associate it with textiles, not with food, but not any more.
Hemp's latest incarnation as the base for many nutritious food products is
creating renewed interest in the plant and changing its controversial
image. Hemp is showing up in a dizzying array of products -- waffles,
energy bars, veggie burgers, pizza, bread, salad dressings and ice cream,
to name a few.

Once maligned and even banned due to an incorrect association with its
distant, mind-altering cousin marijuana, hemp has shed its illicit cachet
- -- in Canada at least. "Many U.S. grocery chains still shy away from buying
products that contain hemp," says David Neuman, vice-president of sales and
marketing for Richmond-based Nature's Path Foods. "Within Canada, this is
much less of an issue. Most consumers in both the health and mainstream
channels understand the benefits of hemp. Our HempPlus Granola is our No.
1-selling granola in Canada."

The industrial hemp grown in Canada is sown from specially bred cannabis
seeds, regulated by Health Canada, that contain undetectable levels of THC
- -- the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

"You couldn't get high if you smoked an acre of it," laughs Richard
Plotnikoff, director of the Canadian Hemp Corp. Based in Sidney, B.C.,
Plotnikoff's company produces hemp oil, hemp nuts (hulled hemp seeds) and
OmegaHemp energy bars. In addition, CHC educates prospective farmers about
the cultivation of hemp and guides them through the regulation process with
Health Canada.

Janet Bol, manager of Planet Organic, says, "People like the nutty, crunchy
flavour of hemp nuts (shelled seeds). Customers put them on salads, in
yogurt, on their cereal and they enjoy the slightly nutty, rich flavour of
the oil too. It makes great salad dressing."

Perhaps the item creating the biggest buzz within the hemp industry and
among consumers is hemp protein powder. The edible portion of hemp -- the
shelled seed -- is an excellent source of protein. Its overall protein
content of 34.6 grams/100 grams is comparable to that of soybeans and
better than that found in nuts, other seeds and dairy products.

As David Neuman points out, "this is a high-quality protein containing all
nine essential amino acids in sufficient quantity and ratio to meet the
body's needs -- somewhat unusual for a plant protein."

In addition, hemp protein is free of "antinutrients" like the trypsin in
soy, which inhibits proper protein absorption and causes gas and bloating.

Another important aspect of hemp protein, according to North
Vancouver-based Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier, is that it is raw and
rich in chlorophyll.

"Chlorophyll has an alkalizing effect on the body. A body that is more
alkaline will have a stronger immune system and be able to deal with stress
better," he says. "Also, when the body's pH is balanced, muscle tissue is
more easily gained and retained and fat is more easily shed."

Brazier is the formulator of Vega -- a new vegan meal-replacement featuring
hemp protein.

A serving of the protein powder yields 14 grams of protein -- that's
comparable to two medium eggs or two three-ounce slices of cheese.

Hemp seeds are also full of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

In his book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, biochemist Udo Erasmus, a
world-renowned expert on EFAs, says, "hemp food and hemp oil are at the
head of the good fat line since they contain 80 per cent EFAs in an optimal
three-to-one balance no other food source has."

Most of the hemp grown in Canada comes from the Prairies.