With CBD being the buzzword for the last couple of years, it’s only exciting to hear that more and more brands, especially big ones are entering the fray. And when a globally recognized company enters the market, it is bound to make heads turn. The latest news is that the International furniture company IKEA has decided to jump the CBD bandwagon. Known for their food as much as their furniture, Ikea is introducing a vegan menu option to its in-store bistros. Keeping with the trend, they have developed CBD-infused vegan Swedish meatballs. This food will soon debut at select IKEA stores from April 20 of this year. The dish which is completely vegan and is chickpea and vegetable-based will have the balls seared with a proprietary food-grade CBD oil. To add to the health benefits, this is then covered in CBD-infused vegan gravy. The recipe developers at IKEA claim that due to the addition of CBD to food, diners can fully savour each bite and enjoy their meal better. As we all know by now that CBD has numerous health benefits, which include anxiety and chronic pain, IKEA purports that these meatballs may also relieve some of the stress of furniture shopping and assembly. The CBD is non-psychoactive meaning that it does not contain any THC, It is safe for use and considered legal in all the states in the US so consumers can rest assured they are consuming safe food.
Open in the US and Sweden
Besides the US cities of Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, and California, Sweden stores will also serve this new item and they plan to add it on their menu worldwide by 2020. According to sources, six meatballs are a single serving with gravy and they will cost $4.20. The IKEA kitchen is further working on a frozen product which will include the vegan meatballs, CBD-infused gravy, as well as a packet of CBD oil for sautéing and drizzling.
This is the first time IKEA is venturing into CBD products, however, if it is successful, the company is looking to expand the line with other food products. An IKEA representative says that a CBD lingonberry juice is also on the pipeline as well as a frozen take-home CBD lingonberry pie. IKEA seems to have gotten strong on the CBD trend and have a strong belief in its medical benefits since they also plan to partner with start-up Lithuanian hand sanitizer brand, TidyWipe, and install CBD hand wipe dispensers in every store. IKEA believes that this new CBD initiative is not only for a better shopping experience, but also help employees and the company’s bottom line. Customers who shop in the store will remain stress-free and not get lost due to CBD’s calming abilities. Many customers who agreed to get tested also claimed that they found their overall shopping experience calming besides finding their way out of the store unaided. They also purchased higher-priced items and relished the food in the café afterwards, thus driving both furniture and food sales in IKEA, a win-win situation for both. In future, IKEA cafés plan to include vegan hot dogs, non-dairy soft-serve—all set to debut in the US this summer.
CBD or cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive compound of the cannabis plant which contains no THC and is known for its numerous health benefits which include relief from anxiety, chronic pain, depressions, insomnia, epilepsy, and inflammation. Thousands have spoken to benefit from it and they have been legalized for use in all 50 states in the US and many countries worldwide.