"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2019-03-08T18:29:30Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/03/08/risk-takers-rob-sands.cnn-business"
data-branding-key="risk-takers"
data-video-slug="Risk Takers Rob Sands"
data-first-publish-slug="Risk Takers Rob Sands"
data-video-tags="alcoholic beverages,amusements and gaming,beer,beverage industry,beverages,breweries,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,companies,constellation brands inc,consumer products,controlled substances,drugs and society,food and beverage industry,food and drink,gambling,kinds of foods and beverages,leisure and lifestyle,marijuana,society,wine"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
His business is alcohol, but he sees a future in cannabis
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2019-03-08T18:29:30Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2019/03/08/risk-takers-rob-sands.cnn-business"
data-branding-key="risk-takers"
data-video-slug="Risk Takers Rob Sands"
data-first-publish-slug="Risk Takers Rob Sands"
data-video-tags="alcoholic beverages,amusements and gaming,beer,beverage industry,beverages,breweries,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,companies,constellation brands inc,consumer products,controlled substances,drugs and society,food and beverage industry,food and drink,gambling,kinds of foods and beverages,leisure and lifestyle,marijuana,society,wine"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
His business is alcohol, but he sees a future in cannabis
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2024-03-31T00:30:19Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2024/03/30/cocoa-chocolate-pricing-surge-easter-rodriguez-nr-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="cocoa chocolate pricing surge easter rodriguez nr vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="cocoa chocolate pricing surge easter rodriguez nr vpx"
data-video-tags="agricultural commodities,agriculture,agriculture, forestry, and commercial fishing,banking, finance and investments,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,commodity markets,consumer products,domestic alerts,domestic-business,easter,financial markets and investing,food and drink,food products,holidays and observances,iab-agriculture,iab-business,iab-business and finance,iab-business banking & finance,iab-commodities,iab-desserts and baking,iab-economy,iab-financial industry,iab-food & drink,iab-industries,international alerts,international-business,kinds of foods and beverages,price increases,sweets and desserts"
data-details="">
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2024-03-22T12:43:25Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2024/03/22/trump-truth-social-prepares-to-go-public-egan-cnntm-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="trump truth social prepares to go public egan cnntm vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="trump truth social prepares to go public egan cnntm vpx"
data-video-tags="companies,domestic alerts,domestic-business,domestic-us politics,donald trump,iab-computing,iab-internet,iab-politics,iab-social networking,iab-technology & computing,international alerts,international-business,international-us politics,political figures - us,social media,society,trump media & technology group"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
Donald Trump may be on the verge of a massive financial win
"
data-check-event-based-preview=""
data-is-vertical-video-embed="false"
data-network-id=""
data-publish-date="2024-03-21T05:30:53Z"
data-video-section="business"
data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2024/03/21/china-nongfu-spring-boycott-stewart-lkl-hnk-vpx.cnn"
data-branding-key=""
data-video-slug="china nongfu spring boycott stewart lkl hnk vpx"
data-first-publish-slug="china nongfu spring boycott stewart lkl hnk vpx"
data-video-tags="beverages,bottled water,boycotts,business and industry sectors,business, economy and trade,consumer products,food and drink,iab-food & drink,iab-non-alcoholic beverages,kinds of foods and beverages"
data-details="">
Video Ad Feedback
See why some Chinese people are boycotting a popular brand
Carl’s Jr. is testing out a cannabis burger to stay at the forefront of the CBD trend.
The chain said on Wednesday that it will sell the Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight burger at one location in Denver, Colorado for just one day (April 20th, of course). The burger features a sauce infused with CBD, or cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive hemp derivative.
Though the promotion is limited, it’s not a stunt. The burger chain is using the test to determine whether a CBD burger belongs on its permanent menu, said Patty Trevino, senior vice president of brand marketing for Carl’s Jr.
“It is something that feels right for the brand,” she told CNN Business. “We are all about innovation.”
The CBD burger will be available for just one day at one Carl's Jr. location in Denver, Colorado.
Photo Illustration: Carl's Jr./CNN
Food, beverage and other consumer goods companies have been trying to figure out how to capitalize on growing interest in ingredients like CBD. Consumers are increasingly seeking products that offer an extra something, like increased energy or better gut health. CBD may fit the bill: Some studies suggest the CBD can help treat inflammation, pain, anxiety and seizures. Carl’s Jr. isn’t promoting any possible functional benefits of CBD, Trevino said.
Carl’s Jr. is hoping to please their customers, whom Trevino said tend to be interested in new trends. It’s also chasing “future Carl’s Jr. customers that are younger,” said Trevino. “They are more open to different flavors of products,” as well as benefits trendy ingredients may offer.
The chain first decided to explore CBD in January, after introducing a product based on another trend. Earlier this year, the chain announced a plant-based alternative to its signature burger in partnership with Beyond Meat.
“I was sitting down with our head chef Owen Klein, and we were talking about trends,” Trevino said. After the Beyond Meat launch, they came up with a wish list that included a CBD product. “We looked at ourselves and said, you know what, let’s try.”
CBD is an attractive new ingredient for companies, but they have to act carefully because regulation around use of the ingredient is ill-defined. Hemp was legalized nationally last year as part of the Farm Bill, but the Food & Drug Administration still hasn’t decided how to regulate CBD products. In a March interview with Brookings Institution, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said it could take several years before the agency fully legalizes CBD for use in food products and dietary supplements.
Starting small, in a market where cannabis regulation is “really strong,” will allow Carl’s Jr. to figure out how to move forward. Testing CBD could give the company an edge over competitors, because most of its locations are in Western states, where recreational cannabis is legal.
Because Carl’s Jr. decided to test in just one location on one day, it was able to bring a product to customers very quickly. The chain partnered with Bluebird Botanicals, a Colorado-based company that sells CBD oil and capsules, for the test.