Infusions, oils, plant-based snacks: how the sector can circumvent the tax trap of the 2026 Finance Bill

• October 24 2025, by Terry Esteve
• 3 min reading time

🌿 Introduction

The 2026 Finance Bill (PLF 2026) has caused an earthquake in the wellness hemp sector.
By primarily targeting “smokable” products — flowers, resins and e-liquids — the text paradoxically opens a huge window of opportunity for non-combustible plant products.

In this article, Herbeevor analyzes how responsible brands can transform this constraint into a strategic springboard.

⚖️ 1. What the 2026 Finance Bill actually says

The bill provides for:

• The creation of an excise duty , i.e. a tax similar to that on tobacco , on CBD-containing products “likely to be smoked”.

• A distribution restriction , reserving sales to approved establishments.

• Enhanced control over the traceability and origin of products.

👉 On the other hand, non-smoking products — infusions, oils, snacks, cosmetics — are not explicitly concerned .
A major opportunity for brands capable of innovating outside the “fuel” field.

🌱 2. The “non-smoking” market: a blue ocean

While the smokable CBD sector is set to be heavily taxed, the market for plant-based wellness and functional foods is experiencing explosive growth:

• +18% annual growth in natural and adaptogenic infusions

• +22% on herbal food supplements,

• +15% on healthy snacks and superfoods (source: Xerfi 2025).

Consumers are now looking for plant-based products with beneficial effects , without combustion or stigmatization.

Herbeevor has been anticipating this transition for several months with a 100% botanical range : functional infusions, adaptogenic powders, natural snacks and holistic care.

💡 3. Strategies to circumvent the “tax trap”

Here are the 3 concrete areas for stakeholders in the sector:

1️⃣ Reposition the product
Moving beyond the “smokable” category: reformulating, reconditioning, clarifying uses (infusion, cosmetics, food).

Example: selling a “hemp infusion flower” rather than a “smoking product”.

2️⃣ Promote transparency
Certifications, analyses, traceability, clear labeling.
It is now arguments that will build trust.

3️⃣ Focus on sensory differentiation
Flavors, textures, taste experiences: the added value is shifting towards the customer experience.

A hemp snack or an adaptogenic herbal tea will not be subject to any excise tax .

🧭 4. The Herbeevor approach

Faced with market changes, Herbeevor is accelerating its transformation:

• total elimination of combustible products by the end of 2025;

• refocusing on food and functional botany ;

• development of new product ranges: infusions, superfoods, drinks, natural cosmetics;

• a complete digital ecosystem to educate and build customer loyalty.

Our conviction: the future of plant-based food is drunk, eaten, lived — not smoked.

💬 Conclusion

The 2026 Finance Bill does not signal the end of hemp, but the end of an era .
Brands that can pivot towards non-smoking, healthy and traceable products will emerge stronger.
Herbeevor is living proof: a company that transforms legislative constraints into drivers of plant innovation.

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