Whether you are new or have been in the hemp industry for some time, one of the crucial factors for success is using third party laboratory testing. This involves subjecting your hemp products to additional testing to establish their components.
The need for third party testing is necessitated by the entry of manufacturers who are not committed to quality. For example, it is not uncommon to see a cannabis product with the wrong cannabis profile. In this post, we are going to answer the common questions you might have about hemp testing.
What is Third-Party Laboratory Testing?
Third-party lab testing is the process of evaluating a cannabis product to determine its content. The main goal is to establish the actual contents of a cannabis product so that your clients can get the therapeutic effects they anticipate from various .
3rd party lab testing like Santelabs done on cannabis products does not just test the cannabinoid profile. In addition, it also helps to check the presence of other components, including the following:
- Heavy metals: These components are mainly absorbed by a cannabis plant when growing in the field. Metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, the main causes of a lot of diseases in humans, are absorbed by the plant during its growth process, leading to pre-growth contamination
- Insecticides: Insecticides are the chemicals used to control insects that damage cannabis plants in the farms. But they can also enter the tissues of the plant and find their way into the final cannabis product.
- Bio-contaminants: These are living pathogens that can cause diseases if they get into the human body. The contaminants can get into the cannabis plant when growing in the field or during processing in the factory.
- Presence of Terpenes: Terpenes is a naturally a occurring component in the hemp plant that deploys the mechanism of removing harmful agents and makes way for other useful components to be absorbed by the plant. Terpenes and Cannabinoid work in affiliation to provide greater benefits and better plant growth. Myrcene, Limonene, Caryophyllene, Linalool, Alpha, and Beta Pinene, all of these are the major terpene agents found in the cannabis plant growth. Although a greater concentration of these may cause danger for the plant so proper concentration checks for these components should be made.
- Fungi protection: Because the growth of cannabis is under a moist environment so there are increased chances of growing ‘Mold and Mildew’. If not checked and removed during early plant growth they may contaminate the whole area containing our harvest and if the product catches mold, the consumers can even be exposed to some harmful spores, that if inhaled leads to respiratory failure. The only way to prevent such contamination is that you properly monitor your plants for better ventilation and temperature conditions.
Are there any regulations regarding hemp testing?
The guideline for Hemp Testing requires proof that the product you are providing is clean and pollution-free. Because every testing lab is required to check for CBD potency that they mention on their packagings and must have a less THC concentration. A few states even regulate that a QR code should be included in the product so that the customer can know exactly where and how the products were tested and they can check whether the afford mentioned concentrations of these ingredients actually exist or not.
Who Offers Third-Party Laboratory Testing?
Hemp testing is offered by independent laboratories that are not affiliated to any party in the cannabis production chain. This implies that if the laboratory tests a sample and establishes that it contains very high levels of THC or the cannabinoid profile does not match what is on the label, the results will be released as they are. Based on this information, you can make the decision on the supplier to work with.
Is Hemp Testing Mandatory?
No, hemp testing is not mandatory. The Farm Bill of 2018 did not include mandatory third-party lab testing for cannabis products, but it requires that they should have no more than 0.3% THC.
Because some manufacturers are more focused on optimizing profits, it is prudent to test their products thoroughly in a lab to ensure that the level of THC does not surpass the recommended maximum level of 0.3%.
What are the Risks of Not Using Hemp Testing?
If you fail to subject your products to hemp testing, there are many dangers associated with it. Here are some of them:
- Risk of being found with cannabis products with very high TCH levels. This could get you into conflict with the law.
- The danger of losing your customers as they run to businesses that subject their products to hemp testing.
- It is difficult to know the suppliers and manufacturers who are committed to quality.
- If you live near a farm that consumes a heavy amount of pestisides then your harvest may be at rist of contamination, because these chemicals can easily seep in to the ground and carry these pollutants towards your crops and still damage your crops
- Cross pollination can be a major damaging factor in your plant growth because if you are growing your plants near other product manufacturers, this means that they have the male cannabis that can generate about thousands of pollens that can travel large distances with wind and easy damage your virgin plants.
- There can risk for mold outbreaks. They are not easy to detect and can easily ruin your complete harvest and damage your consumer reputation or even effet your consumer’s health leading other complications
- Having fewer sanitization regulations can even damage your crops and pose a health threat. This is possible when the handling personal does not wash the equipment or their hands before tending to these cannabis plants and easily contaminate the plant growth.
- Check for whether your finished product contains the right terpene agents that are necessary for cannabis growth because these non-cannabis terpenes can cause contamination and they can cause your finished products to fail other quality tests necessary for supplier demands.
Can I succeed in the Hemp Industry Without using Hemp Testing?
The truth is that the chances of success are very low because your competitors are already testing their products for quality assurance. So do not just get into the hemp industry and expect to grow; third party lab testing will offer you the needed force to increase sales, revenue, and a happy customer base.
