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Lesson Summary:
In this lesson, Cameron teaches you about batch sampling, third party testing, and remediation of product that may still need some work.

Lesson Transcript:
Hey, everyone!

Today we’re going to be talking about test batch sampling.

Test batch sampling is required on a state by state basis and can vary from state to state. Your testing will generally record things such as potency, microbial life, pesticide, heavy metals, things of that nature. And depending on the state you’re in, you will have to meet certain criteria in order to release that product for sale to customers.

Third-party testers have to be licensed by the regulating body within the state. Depending on the state, sometimes they will come to your facility and get samples themselves. In other cases, you will take samples from your facility to the third-party tester. Depending on the state, you’ll be required to have sample batches that are representative say, maybe 10 pounds or 20 pounds and it’s all dependent on the rules and regulations within your state.

Testing requirements vary from state to state but will generally look into potency, microbial activity, the presence of pesticides or heavy metal and so on. Every state varies and certainly, check with the rules within your state, but all this is pertinent with regards to that finished product being packed instantly and sent to the customer.

The contents of the Third-Party Testing Certificate of Analysis will detail all the criteria by which your product was measured, and of course that’s on a state by state basis and will definitely include things like potency, presence of pesticides, heavy metals, etc. Once the third-party testing facility has approved your sample batches that means your product is now ready to be released for sale to the public.

Depending on the state that you’re doing business in you will have to submit for third-party testing. In some cases, the third party testing will come to you and take a randomized sample batch from your vault. In other cases, you may deliver your samples for testing to the facility. and it really depends on a state by state basis.

Stability testing occurs after the initial sample has been either approved or rejected. Frequently, stability testing runs 3, 6, or 12 months down the line and ensures that things like potency or microbial life have not degraded or increased over time.

If your first round of testing fails, some state will allow you the opportunity to remediate or try to salvage your products. So if you have a batch of flowers that did not pass testing, you can, in essence, send that on down the line to your extraction facility and through the process of pressure and heat remove some of those impurities and in essence capture the value of your finished product now in extract form as opposed to flower form. Certainly, that new finished extract is going to be subjected to the same testing as you they were in the past. Should you pass your test, it’s now available to release to the market.

Quarantine is a sub-step within the testing process and it occurs after curing but before product is released for sale. And it’s more or less a spot in the vault where all these products sit while you wait for your testing results to come back in. Once you are approved, your products is released for sale. And certainly, if your product does not pass testing it’s pulled back in and you can then send it on for remediation.

So thanks for learning about test batch sampling. Please stay tuned for our next lesson.

You can check out Cameron’s Green Belt Strategies website here.

Course Notes

Recommended Reading:
What’s Happening with California’s Lab Tests?
How Cannabis Samples are Tested for Potency

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