First Companies Awarded Hemp Certification
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]fter the passing of the newest Farm Bill, a hemp industry oversight organization issued an award to 13 hemp companies. On March 1, the U.S. Hemp Authority announced that these hemp companies will receive the Certification Seal award.
The Certification Seal is awarded after companies meet the self-regulatory standards of the organization and pass a third-party audit, proving that their hemp-derived products, including CBD extract, are safe and accurately labeled. It also helps these approved companies stand out amongst other hemp-based production companies who currently operate, or will be operating in the future now that CBD products have become so popular.
The U.S. Hemp Authority was created in November 2018 and is comprised of industry leaders and well-known organizations. It is funded by the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a coalition of dozens of hemp companies that represent every step of the seed-to-sale product chain.
The list of companies who received the Certification Seal are as follows:
- CV Sciences, San Diego, California
- HempMeds, San Diego, California
- Medterra CBD, Irvine, California
- Balanced Health Botanicals, Denver, Colorado
- Charlotte’s Web, Boulder, Colorado
- HD Distribution, Louisville, Colorado
- Bluebird Botanicals, Louisville, Colorado
- Hemp Fusion, Miramar, Florida
- GenCanna, Winchester, Kentucky
- Shell Farms, Winchester, Kentucky
- Nature’s Hemp Oil, Lexington, Kentucky
- Hempworx, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Barlean’s, Ferndale, Washington
“As the market for hemp-derived products undergoes rapid growth, it is critically important for us to signal to the world that we intend to act responsibly. Quality assurance and safety must come first, and that’s why we set off on this journey,” said Dr. Marielle Weintraub, president of the U.S. Hemp Authority, in a press release. “Creating these standards was a long journey, but after thousands of pages of public and stakeholder input and countless hours of hard work, we are thrilled to announce our first awardees today.”
The certification was created to support farmers and producers’ knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration’s Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), giving the industry guidance and best practice options. The certified companies were audited by Where Food Comes From’s Validus division.
The Hemp Authority organization is now working on an updated program that will take input from farmers and certified companies as well as company stakeholders to improve the certification.
