Tag Archives: preventive

July 5, 2023

Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd) & Pathogen Diagnostics: A Comprehensive Overview

By Tassa Saldi, Ph.D.

Hop latent viroid (HLVd) has gained attention as the molecular cause of “dudding disease” and is causing significant economic losses in the cannabis industry.^1,2 Estimates indicate that upwards of 4 billion dollars of market value are lost each year to this pathogen alone.³ The impact of HLVd on cannabis plants necessitates the development and implementation of effective pathogen diagnostics to mitigate its spread and minimize crop damage. With collaborative research efforts, we can gain valuable insights into the characteristics, spread, symptoms and preventive measures associated with HLVd in the cannabis industry.

Viroids: A Brief Overview

Viroids are unique infectious agents composed solely of genetic material, distinct from viruses. Unlike viruses, viroids lack a protective protein layer and solely rely on the host plant for replication and spread. Their stability and ability to persist in various environments make viroids a formidable threat to plant health.

Hop Latent Viroid: Origin and Global Spread

Hop latent viroid was initially identified in hop plants in 1988⁴ and was found to be largely asymptomatic in this crop. Consequently, HLVd has spread worldwide, mostly unchecked by the hops industry. This pathogen has been identified on most continents and in some fields more than 90% of hops plants are infected.⁵ Hop latent viroid very likely jumped from hops into cannabis, due to similar genetics. The timing and mechanism of cross-species transmission to cannabis remains unknown, but the prevalence of HLVd suggests this viroid has been circulating within cannabis for an extended period. Data collected at TUMI Genomics indicates that HLVd is present in all states in the United States where cannabis is legal as well internationally including; Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Thailand, Austria and Switzerland.

Symptoms and Impacts on Cannabis Plants

HLVd exhibits a wide range of symptoms, which can vary from severe to subtle, affecting the growth, leaf development, flower quality and overall vitality of cannabis plants. Understanding these symptoms is crucial for timely diagnosis and appropriate disease management strategies. However, HLVd can also present asymptomatically, especially in vegetative plants. The only way to determine if your plants are infected is by routine molecular testing.

Modes of Transmission

Mechanical Transmission: HLVd primarily spreads mechanically through contact with infected sap during activities like trimming and handling. Additionally, transmission through contaminated water and the potential role of insects, fungal pathogens and seeds in spreading HLVd have also been observed.

Seed Transmission: Although no published studies exist in cannabis describing the frequency of seed transmission, HLVd does transmit through seeds in hop plants at a rate of around 8%.⁷ Preliminary studies performed by TUMI Genomics in collaboration with EZ-genetics suggest cannabis seed transmission does occur at variable rates depending on strain and level of infection of the parent plants.

Water Transmission: It has also been observed that viroids are in high concentration in the roots⁸ and can move from the root into runoff water.⁹ Plants sharing a common water source with infected plants, such as recirculating water systems or flood and drain procedures, are at risk for transmission of the viroid.

Insect and Other Vector Transmission: The jury is still out as to whether or not insects can transmit HLVd. However, multiple viroids are transmitted via insects, so it is likely that HLVd insect transmission occurs. Recent studies also indicate that fungal pathogens, like Fusarium, can transmit viroid infections.⁶ While pathogenic fungus is a major concern for cannabis growers in its own right, limiting the prevalence and spread of fungal pathogens in your facility could help limit hop latent viroid transmission as well.

Therefore, implementing proper sanitation practices and limiting pest access can help minimize transmission risks.

Preventive Measures

Prevention plays a vital role in safeguarding cannabis crops against HLVd. The STOP program, developed by TUMI Genomics, offers a comprehensive approach that includes maintaining a Sterile environment, Testing mother plants regularly, Organizing the facility to minimize pathogen spread, and Protecting the facility’s borders from introduction of infected plant material, insects and contaminated water. More details on these preventative measures can be found here.

Pathogen Diagnostics

Protecting your plants from hop latent viroid requires accurate identification and removal of infected plants before the infection spreads to other plants. To accomplish this, several critical factors should be considered:

Type of test: HLVd and all viroids can only be detected by a molecular test (a test that detects the presence of DNA/RNA). Among common molecular tests, PCR is generally the most sensitive and accurate method. PCR can provide both a diagnosis and an approximate viroid level, allowing informed management decisions. Other types of molecular tests, such as LAMP and RPA, can formally be as sensitive as PCR, but the classic versions of these assays often suffer from false positive/negative results, reducing accuracy.

Tissue type: An important consideration for HLVd detection is the plant tissue selected for testing, especially when identifying low-level or early infections when HLVd is not yet systemic. Studies completed by TUMI Genomics and others show root tissue contains the highest levels of HLVd and is the most reliable tissue for detection of viroid infection. While upper root tissue appears to contain the highest levels of viroid, roots from anywhere in the root ball are predictive of infection. Samples taken from the leaves/foliage tend to have lower levels of viroid and may produce false negative results.

Testing frequency: Routine pathogen testing is standard practice in general agriculture and is critical to maintain a healthy cannabis crop. Testing of mother plants every 4-6 weeks for economically critical pathogens (such as HLVd) will help ensure a successful run and a high-quality product.

Disinfection Methods

Studies have shown that viroids can remain infectious for longer than 24 hours on most common surfaces¹¹ and 7 weeks in water.¹⁰ Making effective disinfection methods essential to limit the spread of HLVd. While common disinfectants like alcohol and hydrogen peroxide are ineffective against viroids, a 10% bleach solution has shown efficacy in destroying HLVd. Proper tool sterilization practices, such as soaking tools in bleach for 60 seconds, are crucial to prevent transmission during plant handling.

Hop latent viroid poses a significant threat to the cannabis industry, leading to substantial economic losses. Timely and accurate pathogen diagnostics, along with stringent preventive measures, are essential for minimizing the impact of HLVd. Regular testing, proper disinfection protocols and adherence to pathogen prevention programs can help ensure the health and vitality of cannabis crops in the face of this global pandemic.

References

Bektas, A., et al. “Occurrence of Hop Latent Viroid in Cannabis Sativa with Symptoms of Cannabis Stunting Disease in California.” APS Journals, 21 Aug. 2019, doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-19-0459-PDN.
Warren, J.G., et al. “Occurrence of Hop Latent Viroid Causing Disease in Cannabis Sativa in California.” APS Journals, 21 Aug. 2019, doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-03-19-0530-PDN.
Cooper, Benjie. “Hop Latent Viroid Causes $4 Billion Cannabis Industry Loss – Candid Chronicle.” Candid Chronicle – Truthful, Straightforward, Blunt Cannabis News, 16 Aug. 2021, candidchronicle.com/hop-latent-viroid-causes-4-billion-cannabis-industry-loss/.
Puchta H, Ramm K, Sänger HL. The molecular structure of hop latent viroid (HLV), a new viroid occurring worldwide in hops. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 May 25;16(10):4197-216. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.10.4197. PMID: 2454454; PMCID: PMC336624.
Faggioli, Franceso, et al. “Geographical Distribution of Viroids in Europe.” Viroids and Satellites, 31 July 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128014981000449#bib47.
Wei S, Bian R, Andika IB, Niu E, Liu Q, Kondo H, Yang L, Zhou H, Pang T, Lian Z, Liu X, Wu Y, Sun L. Symptomatic plant viroid infections in phytopathogenic fungi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Jun 25;116(26):13042-13050. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1900762116. Epub 2019 Jun 10. PMID: 31182602; PMCID: PMC6600922.
Singh RP. The discovery and eradication of potato spindle tuber viroid in Canada. Virus disease. 2014 Dec;25(4):415-24. doi: 10.1007/s13337-014-0225-9. Epub 2014 Dec 2. PMID: 25674616; PMCID: PMC4262315.
Jama, Aisha, et al. TUMI Genomics, Fort Collins, CO, 2022, Hop Latent Viroid Levels and Distribution in Cannabis Plant Tissue.
Mackie AE, Coutts BA, Barbetti MJ, Rodoni BC, McKirdy SJ, Jones RAC. Potato spindle tuber viroid: Stability on Common Surfaces and Inactivation With Disinfectants. Plant Dis. 2015 Jun;99(6):770-775. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-09-14-0929-RE. Epub 2015 May 15. PMID: 30699527.
Mackie AE, Coutts BA, Barbetti MJ, Rodoni BC, McKirdy SJ, Jones RAC. Potato spindle tuber viroid: Stability on Common Surfaces and Inactivation With Disinfectants. Plant Dis. 2015 Jun;99(6):770-775. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-09-14-0929-RE. Epub 2015 May 15. PMID: 30699527.
Mackie AE, Coutts BA, Barbetti MJ, Rodoni BC, McKirdy SJ, Jones RAC. Potato spindle tuber viroid: Stability on Common Surfaces and Inactivation With Disinfectants. Plant Dis. 2015 Jun;99(6):770-775. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-09-14-0929-RE. Epub 2015 May 15. PMID: 30699527.

July 22, 2021

Quality Systems 101: CAPA Programs Drive Improvement & Prevent Costly Mistakes

By David Vaillencourt

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No business is perfect, especially when humans are part of the equation. But, how do you tackle fixing quality issues as they arise? The goal of this article is to shed some light on the value of a CAPA program and why many states are making them mandatory for cannabis businesses.

Let’s consider the following situations:

Analytical lab results for a production batch test above the limit for a banned pesticide or microbial contamination
You open a case of tincture bottles and some are broken
A customer returns a vape pen because it is leaking or ‘just doesn’t work’

Do you…

Document the issue?
Perform some sort of an investigation, asking questions of the people involved?
Ask for a retest? Then, if the test comes back positive, move on?

Let’s go through each one of these and understand why the suboptimal answer could be costing your business money:

You don’t document the issue

I hear excuses for skipping on documentation all the time.

“It’s not a big deal”
“It was a one off”
“The glasses probably broke in transit”
“They are cheap and easily replaceable”
“It’s not worth the time”

Tracking and documenting supplier shipments can help you identify supply chain issues.

In the situation of a couple of broken bottles in a shipment, what if it was the seventh time in the last two months? If you haven’t been documenting and tracking the issue, you have no way of knowing if it was a single occurrence. Remember when you were surprised that your filling team did not have enough bottles? Those broken bottles add up. Without documenting the incident, you will never know if it was truly a one-time mistake or the sign of a deeper issue. The reality is, it could be sloppy handling on the production line, issues with the shipper or even a sign of poor quality coming from the supplier.

Have you ever compared the number of fills vs the number of bottles ordered? How much money have you already lost due to those broken bottles adding up? Do you have the ability to answer this question?

You perform an investigation

Let’s say a customer returns a leaky vape pen. You perform an investigation by asking the production workers what they think went wrong. They say that it’s very difficult to get the seal for the cartridge into place. Their supervisor tells them to try harder, refunds the customer and moves on. But, why is it difficult to get the seal into place? Is it a design flaw? Should a special tool be used to assemble the cartridge properly? Without getting to the root cause of why the seals are leading to leaking cartridges, you are doomed to have repeat issues. Numerous studies have found that less than one in twenty dissatisfied customers will complain, and that approximately one in ten will simply leave for another brand or provider. How much is this unresolved issue truly costing your business?

Asking for a retest and if it passes, releasing the product and moving on.

labsphoto — In Colorado, 15% of the final tested cannabis flower products continue to fail.

Suppose a major producer of cereal received test results for its most popular cereal that were positive for levels of heavy metals that research has shown to be linked to cancer or developmental issues in children. Now, suppose the company stated that it was an isolated incident and a retest showed that the product met acceptable limits. Further investigation showed no paperwork, save for a couple of emails and a phone call between the lab and the producer. Would that give you peace of mind? This is known as “testing into compliance” and was the subject of a landmark lawsuit in 1993 that Barr Laboratories lost.

For many the answer would be a hard NO. But this happens every day. In Colorado, 12.5% of cannabis batches failed final product testing in 2018 and 2019. That’s one in eight batches! What happened to those products? Good question.

Enter: CAPA (Corrective Action and Preventive Action) programs! For people with a background in quality and GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices), CAPA is a household name. And, it’s quickly becoming a requirement that cannabis regulatory bodies are looking at. Colorado was the first state to explicitly require CAPA programs for all license holders effective January of this year and has provided a free resource for them. But, for the large majority of people, including those in the cannabis industry, it’s just another acronym.

What does a CAPA program do?

The benefits are numerous but two major ones are:

An effective tool for investigating the true root cause

First of all, a CAPA program provides the framework for a tool for investigation – as Murphy’s Law posits – things go wrong all of the time. Whether you have a manual, labor-intensive process or a highly automated operation, the equipment is programmed, maintained and monitored by humans. The logical sequence of problem solving within a CAPA program allows you to thoroughly investigate and determine the root cause of the issue. With a complete understanding of root cause, you are then able to eliminate it and prevent future occurrences – not just in the one area investigated, but in all similar situations throughout the company.

System for continuous improvement

Gathering info from a customer complaint like batch or product IDs can be crucial in a CAPA system

Anyone who is in the market for a new car lately can appreciate the technological advances. In the 1980s, it was air bags and ABS brakes (those of you that drive in snowy climates and remember having to pump your brakes can appreciate technological advancements). Bluetooth technology for hands-free communication and radio control is another example of continuous improvement in cars.

This is one of the biggest predictors and differentiators between profitable and successful companies with satisfied clients and one that is barely scraping by. The cost of poor quality adds up!

Key inputs in a CAPA system

If the output is an improved system and lower cost of quality, we need to make sure we’re considering the potential inputs.

Information that feeds into your CAPA system:

Customer complaints

Every complaint must be recorded. Gather as much information as possible, but at a minimum: the product type/SKU, the customer name and date of purchase. If possible, the batch or product ID.

This is not necessarily to identify products for a recall, but to prevent…

Laboratory test results

This should not be restricted to final product testing, but include any in-process inspections. Say you have a product repeatedly failing final testing, what if it’s actually been consistently failing or very close to failing at the very first in-process inspection? It’s also important to work with your laboratory to understand their method validation process, including the accuracy, precision, robustness, etc.

Infrastructure & environmental controls/monitoring

Most people consider “environmental controls” to be things like temperature and humidity control. While that is true, it can also include pest and contamination control. Poorly designed infrastructure layouts are major contributors to product cross contamination as well.

Supplier information

Undetected supply chain issues (remember the broken bottles?) can add up fast! CAPAs for suppliers cannot just include supplier monitoring, but improvement in how you communicate your needs to your suppliers. It’s easy to overlook non-cannabis raw materials as sources of microbiological and chemical contamination. Conduct a risk assessment based on the type of contact with your product and the types of contamination possible and adjust your supplier qualification program accordingly.

Are you ready to recognize the benefits of a CAPA program?

One more major benefit of CAPA programs to mention before we go is … Preventive via predictive analytics.

In Colorado, 15% of the final tested cannabis flower products continue to fail, mostly due to mold and mildew. A quality system, with effective data capture that is funneled into a CAPA program can easily reduce this by 75%. For even a small business doing $2M per year in revenue, that equates to a revenue increase of nearly $200,000 with no additional expenses.

Whether you are operating in the State of Colorado or elsewhere, a CAPA and Recall program will provide immense value. In the best case, it will uncover systemic issues; worst case, it forces you to fix mild errors. What are you waiting for?

June 9, 2021

How Effective is Your Internal Auditing Program?

By David Vaillencourt

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The word “audit” evokes various emotions depending on your role in an organization and the context of the audit. While most are familiar with and loathe the IRS’s potential for a tax audit, the audits we are going to discuss today are (or should be) welcomed – proactive internal quality audits. A softer term that is also acceptable is “self-assessment.” These are independent assessments conducted to determine how effective an organization’s risk management, processes and general governance is.

“How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been” – Maya Angelou

Internal quality audits are critical to ensuring the safety of products, workers, consumers and the environment. When planned and performed periodically, these audits provide credible, consistent and objective evidence to inform the organization of its risks, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Ask yourself the question: do your clients/vendors rely on you to produce reliable, consistent and safe products? Assuming the answer is yes, what confidence do you have, and where is the documented evidence to support it?

Compliance units within cannabis businesses are typically responsible for ensuring a business stays legally compliant with state and federal regulations. This level of minimum compliance is critical to prevent fines and ensure licenses are not revoked. However, compliance audits rarely include fundamental components that leave cannabis operators exposed to many unnecessary risks.

As a producer of medical and adult-use products that are ingested, inhaled or consumed in other forms by our friends, family and neighbors, how can you be sure that these products are produced safely and consistently? Are you confident that the legal requirements mandated by your state cannabis control board are sufficient? Judging by the number of recalls and frustrations voiced by the industry regarding the myriad of regulations, I would bet the answer is no.

What questions do internal audits address? Some examples include:

Are you operating as management intends?
How effective is your system in meeting specified objectives? These objectives could include quality metrics of your products, on-time delivery rates and other client/customer satisfaction metrics.
Are there opportunities to improve?
Are you doing what you say you do (in your SOPs), and do you have the recorded evidence (records) to prove it?
Are you meeting the requirements of all applicable government regulations?

There are potential drawbacks to internal audits. For one, as impartiality is essential in internal audits, it may be challenging to identify an impartial internal auditor in a small operation. If your team always feels like it is in firefighting mode, it may feel like a luxury to take the time to pull members out of their day-to-day duties and disrupt ongoing operations for an audit. Some fear that as internal assessments are meant to be more thorough than external assessments, a laundry list of to-do items may be uncovered due to the audit. But, these self-assessments often uncover issues that have resulted in operational efficiencies in the first place. This resulting “laundry list” then affords a proactive tool to implement corrective actions in an organized manner that can prevent the recurrence of major issues, as well as prevent new issues. The benefits of internal audits outweigh the drawbacks; not to mention, conducting internal audits is required by nearly every globally-recognized program, both voluntary (e.g. ISO 9001 or ASTM Internationals’s Cannabis Certification Program) and government required programs such as 21 CFR 211 for Pharmaceuticals.

Internal Auditing is a catalyst for improving an organization’s effectiveness and efficiency by providing insight and recommendations based on analyses and assessments of data and business processes. Additional benefits of internal audits include giving your organization the means to:

Ensure compliance to the requirements of internal, international and industry standards as well as regulations and customer requirements
Determine the effectiveness of the implemented system in meeting specified objectives (quality, environmental, financial)
Explore opportunities for improvement
Meet statutory and regulatory requirements
Provide feedback to Top Management
Lower the cost of poor quality

Findings from all audits must be addressed. This is typically done in accordance with a CAPA (Corrective Action Preventive Action) program. To many unfamiliar with Quality Management Systems, this may be a new term. As of Jan 1, 2021, this is now a requirement for all cannabis licensed operators in Colorado. Many other states require a CAPA program or similar. Continuing education units (CEUs) are available through ASTM International’s CAPA training program, which was developed specifically for the cannabis industry.

Examples of common audit findings that require CAPAs include:

Calibration – Production and test equipment must be calibrated to ensure they provide accurate and repeatable results.
Document and record control – Documents and records need to be readily accessible but protected from unintended use.
Supplier management – Most standards have various requirements for supplier management that may include auditing suppliers, monitoring supplier performance, only using suppliers certified to specific standards, etc.
Internal audits – Believe it or not, since internal audits are required by many programs, it’s not uncommon to have a finding related to internal audits! Findings from an internal audit can include not conducting audits on schedule, not addressing audit findings or not having a properly qualified internal auditor. Are you looking for more guidance? Last year, members of ASTM International’s D37 Committee on Cannabis approved a Standard Guide for Cannabis and Hemp Operation Compliance Audits, ASTM D8308-21.

If you are still on the fence about the value of an internal audit, given the option of an inspector uncovering a non-conformance or your own team discovering and then correcting it, which would you prefer? With fines easily exceeding $100,000 by many cannabis enforcement units, the answer should be clear. Internal audits are a valuable tool that should not be feared.

March 19, 2019

Health Canada Issues Voluntary Cannabis Recall Guide

By Marguerite Arnold

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Last month, Health Canada published a Voluntary Recall Guide to help producers not only stay in compliance but run their operations better. While it will certainly prove to be a critically useful guide for Canadian LPs who are now subject to domestic regulations, it is also a highly useful document for others. Namely, newly legalizing U.S. states and even European countries now looking for guidance on how to shape, structure and regulate their own burgeoning domestic cultivation markets either underway now or about to start.

What Is Of Particular Interest?

While it may sound like a no-brainer, the guide lays out, albeit in very broad strokes, the kinds of procedures all licensed producers should be implementing anyway to efficiently run a compliant business.

It could be considered, on one level, a critical start-up business guide for those still looking for guidance in Canada (as well as elsewhere). Domestically, the document is clearly a handy template, if not something to create checklists from, in setting up a vital and at this point, mandatory part of a compliant cultivation facility in Canada.

The guide also covers not only domestically distributed product but that bound for export.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the guide is also how low tech it is. For example, the guide suggests that a license holder responsible for recall notices, plan on quick response methods that include everything from a self-addressed postcard to an email acknowledgement link.

That said, recalls must be reported to the government exclusively via an email address (no mail drop is listed). And suggestions about media outlets to which to submit recall notices are noticeably digitally heavy. Websites and social media platforms are suggested as the first two options of posting a recall. Posters at retailers is listed dead last.

What is also notable, not to mention commendable, is the inclusion of how to include supply chain partners in recall notices, as well as the mandate to do it in the first place.

Also Of Note

Also excellent is the attempt to begin to set a checklist and process about evaluating both the process of the recall itself and further identification of future best practices.Health Canada also expects companies to show proof of follow up efforts to reach non-responders all along the supply chain.

For example, the report suggests that LPs obtain not only feedback from both their supply chain and consumers involved, but elicit information on how such entities and individuals received the information in the first place. Further, the volume of responses (especially from end consumers) or lack thereof should be examined specifically to understand how effective the outreach effort actually was in reaching its target audience.

This is especially important because Health Canada also expects companies to show proof of follow up efforts to reach non-responders all along the supply chain.

Regulatory Reporting Guidelines

One of the reasons that this guide is so useful is that Health Canada also expects to receive full written reports touching upon all of the issues it lays out within 30 days of the recall announcement itself.

In turn, this is also a clear attempt to begin to start to document quality controls and attempts to correct the same quickly in an industry still plagued by product quality issues, particularly at home, but with an eye to overseas markets.

As such, it will also prove invaluable to other entities, far beyond Canadian LPs involved in the process this document lays out. Namely, it is a good comprehensive, but easy to follow and generally applicable guide for new states (in the case of the US) if not national governments in Europe and beyond who are now starting to look at regulating their own burgeoning industries from the ground up.

December 31, 2018

Deibel Cannabis Laboratories Launches Cannabis-Specific HACCP Program

By Dr. Laurie Post

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Manufacturers of cannabis products need a program tailored to the cannabis industry that helps assure the safety of cannabis products with respect to known hazards such as pesticides, residual solvents, microbial impurities, heavy metals and mycotoxins. Deibel Cannabis Laboratories has developed a course that that will teach those manufacturing cannabis products how to manage known product safety hazards using a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.

HACCP has a long history of use in the food industry based on preventing potential hazards from occurring rather than reacting to issues when they arise. This program was started in the US but is globally recognized, used by food companies around the world to help produce safe products for consumers. Deibel Cannabis Laboratories applies the same prevention based system of HACCP to the creation of safe and wholesome cannabis goods whether they be edible, medicinal or topical. They also explore ways cultivators can use HACCP principles in their operation.12

Deibel Labs was founded by Dr. Robert Deibel in the 1970’s. Dr. Deibel is one of the original pioneers of HACCP, expanding the program from its original three HACCP principles to the seven principles we recognize today. Dr. Deibel developed the first “HACCP Short Course,” teaching this prevention-based program to food industry leaders in the 1970s.

According to Charles Deibel, president of Deibel Labs, this is an important step for the cannabis space. “Deibel Labs is proud to continue in our historic role as leaders in HACCP training by providing the cannabis industry with a training course developed by Deibel Labs associates who are International HACCP Alliance accredited lead instructors with years of experience in crafting and implementing HACCP plans for the food industry.”

They are launching a pilot two-day Cannabis HACCP Class to select clients at the end of January in Santa Cruz, CA. The full Cannabis HACCP course schedule for 2019 is currently in development. Accreditation by the HACCP Alliance is expected by early January, assuring that a standardized and internationally recognized training curriculum is provided by accredited instructors.

The course is forward-thinking, anticipating that sometime in the near future cannabis manufacturers will be required to control and document the safe production, handling and preparation of products according to state or even federal regulatory standards. Participants will be able to develop their own model HACCP program in an interactive group learning environment.

Attendees will:

Understand how Prerequisite Programs provide the foundation on which HACCP programs are built including GMPs, Sanitation and Pest Control Programs
Be able to identify where and how product safety problems can occur using a Hazard Analysis that considers Biological, Chemical and Physical Hazards
Gain the skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to develop effective Critical Controls, formulate corrective actions, conduct program verification and validation activities
Learn how to document activities and maintain records

Stay tuned for more information on when the 2019 course schedule is announced and how to register.