The Three Key Reminders
- Display a stamp of approval from a third-party quality testing lab on your product
- Be as specific as possible when describing the cannabinoid compounds and their uses (don’t hyperbolize).
- Realize whether your product is supplementary or food/drink-based
How to Properly Label Your CBD Products
As a cannabidiol (CBD) retailer or distributor, it’s only natural that you’d want your business to be associated with the best CBD products on the market.
The chemical compounds inside the actual product must directly correlate with the advertising and promotion written on the label. This may seem like common sense, but there are many companies putting false labels on their products. Since CBD isn’t currently monitored or regulated by the FDA, it’s all too easy to get away with false advertising for the sake of making a sale.
“No regulations? That’s a free-for-all!”
In theory, this creates opportunities for manufacturers to take advantage of the government. In practice, this creates a lucrative way for some shady CBD producers to gain leverage on the uninformed buyer. This is especially common when a buyer is looking to make a quick purchase.
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False Labeling
Sketchy producers market products infiltrated with additives, contaminants and pesticides. Some even completely leave out the critical CBD compounds that gives the product its true essence.
When labels read “100% CBD”, a trusting buyer can easily fall for the deception. For those in the legal cannabis and hemp industries, this is particularly concerning. With so many new businesses popping up to chase the “gold rush”, there is concern that some consumers will lose trust in the new market.
As CBD grows in popularity, more people are better able to discern the good, the bad, and the downright ugly, but this has not stopped the issue. With more companies popping up each day, new and inventive measures are being taken to deceive buyers.
Clarity is the only solution for the CBD market. Third-party testing is becoming more and more common. In fact, some of the industries largest producers have a reputation for putting their products through testing. Before ever bringing their products to market, they will ensure the potency and quality of their isolate, crude, oil, etc.
Brands who are properly testing their products make sure to include this verification on their labels. In fact, this has created an entirely new market for testing facilities.
Third-Party Test Lab Verification
Buyers searching for CBD to treat physical ailments like muscle aches and joint pains know what how to source high-quality CBD. Many are willing to pay premium prices for products sourced with third-party lab test documents.
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This is the new wave that’s been helping to weed out the elite from the bottom of the barrel in the CBD industry. Third-party testing provides an opportunity for brands to diversify themselves from the competition.
Instead of dropping heaps of time and money into equipment, producers send a sample of their products to a lab. These labs provide detailed tests results. Results include CBD compounds, their potency, contaminants/pesticides, and terpenes.
These tests help producers get top dollar for thieir products. With a lack of federal oversight, these tests also give verification to buyers who may not be able to sample the product before buying.
Buyers who regularly source CBD often require third-party testing. While some producers invest in the equipment to test their own prodcts, it is preferred to obtain a third-party verification. This ensures the quality of your product and adds an additional element of trust.
See how other companies are labeling their CBD products now >>
What to Watch Out For?
Another issue facing the industry are testing facilities willing to provide false results for payment. It may have occurred to you, sketchy CBD producers can pay off equally sketchy third-party labs to provide false statements.
The only way to know if a product is truly quality is through research. Buyers will research the lab that has performed the test, so you should do the same. Search for reputable labs near you. Meet with the owner and discuss their techniques. Ask them the hard questions.
Trustworthy producers will have accurate test results available for all of their products. Including these lab results on your product listings allows buyers to do their proper research.
Use The Right Words
To make sure Uncle Sam doesn’t come sticking his hand where it doesn’t belong, CBD producers have to be especially mindful of the way they word their labels.
Any product that has a claim to cure a disease is considered medicine or a drug. In the case of CBD, that would be a violation of federal law, even despite the 2018 Farm Bill that disassociated hemp from “marijuana” (so it’s no longer classified as a controlled substance).
If distributors aren’t careful, they can bet the FDA will come poking around and issue warning letters calling for the labels to be corrected before a far more serious consequence ensues.
This can be as simple as changing the labeling from something like, “100% guaranteed to cure your ailments!”, to “Use this to support your aches!”.
Food vs. Supplements
Determining whether your CBD product is food or a supplement is another hurdle producers have to cross when writing labels.
Though mostly self-explanatory, foods and drinks that can be downed in one or two gulps are considered supplements. This distinction is often what causes most confusion. Many CBD products actually fall into the category of supplement.
As you may have gathered, the FDA loves rules – so the easiest way to avoid the government radar is to comply with the policies in place.
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In Summary
Kush wants to make sure you realize that labeling your CBD products properly is essential to operating your business.
An honest label helps take your reputation to the next level and simultaneously ensures Uncle Sam will leave you alone.
The number one rule to remember is that you cannot go wrong with total and complete transparency.
Tyana Daley
