The final round of public comment closed on December 31st, 2020 and version 3.0 of the U.S. Hemp Authority Certification Standard was approved by their Board of Directors and published on their website. The revision was done in accordance with the Terms of Reference established for this process by their Board in early 2020. Click here for more information and to access the final version.
This latest version has been “streamlined” and clarifies expectations intended in v. 2.0 with the added insight of an additional year of experience. The following provides a summary of the changes:
- An introductory section has been added to describe the objectives of the program.
- The Glossary has been revised to remove terms no longer included in the rest of the text. Definitions have also been adjusted, most notably those for Broad Spectrum and Full Spectrum.
- Requirements around current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) and government regulations relating thereto are now referenced in the Standard, but the explicit details of applicable CFR sections are not spelled out in the Standard. Rather, demonstration of any given operation’s adherence to applicable laws is required, but as this standard was created specifically for the hemp industry, the focus is mainly on hemp-specific regulations, compliance, and risk management.
- Explicit analytical protocols have been specified for ingredients and products that are included in goods certified under the program.
- Rules around labeling of certified products have been updated to heed regulatory, industry, and consumer concerns related to content, formulation, and clarity of messaging (truth in labeling). The U.S. Hemp Authority recognizes that government regulations around labeling are not yet consistent across all regulatory authorities and therefore has attempted to strike a balance between legal necessity, credibility to consumers along the stated intentions and objectives of the program, and the need to retain a certain amount of flexibility.
- Requirements around compliance and qualification of suppliers and their inputs to certified entities’ operations have been clarified, providing flexible options depending on the situation.
- Responsibilities of Brand Owners, especially but not only those who do not physically handle any products themselves, have been clarified.
- An annex has been added to the Standard, which describes the certification process.
If you would like to learn more about the recent updates, join us on March 23rd from 1-2 pm Eastern for a complimentary webinar to provide an overview of the changes from v. 2.0 to 3.0. Click here to register.
Thank you so much for your help to make this standard even better.
For more information about the U.S. Hemp Authority® Certification program please visit this website.
