COAs help your company avoid expensive replacements, product recalls, and customer complaints and also stay compliant with state regulations such as those provided by the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), which ensures only safe and high-quality products are delivered in the legal marketplace.
The importance of COAs to producers, consumers, and organizations is many. And as the cannabis industry continues to gain lots of attention with a huge influx of products gracing the market, COA becomes particularly essential for manufacturers to prove the integrity of their product in terms of quality and safety.
Consumer’s need to be sure they are getting exactly what they’re paying for. And it is now essential in making purchase decisions. So as a grower or cannabis business owner, having a COA is one of the major factors that would prove the credibility of your products.
BelCosta Labs has been a leading third-party testing laboratory in California and Sacramento, and we are ISO-12025 certified and fully accredited by A2LA to conduct cannabis compliance testing according to regulatory standards.
What is a COA?
A COA is an acronym for Certificate of Analysis, and it is a document issued by an accredited third-party testing laboratory after making thorough analysis on a product to show the ingredient makeup and determine if it meets predetermined specifications by regulatory bodies.
Pharmaceutical companies need the COA for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). It helps manufacturers make further informed decisions about the raw material provided.
Cannabis manufacturers need to engage leading cannabis testing labs to ensure that specific parameters and product targets are met and that it also meets customers’ consumption needs.
For instance, At Belcosta Labs, the leading Southern California’s cannabis testing labs, we have a team of experts, including notable and reputable industry-recognized experts who designed standards for accurate testing methods.
Requirements for a COA Document
A COA document comprises some vital requirements which are provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And they include:
- Evidence of Conformance: this requirement uncovers the most critical aspect of the COA. It reveals primary features, test results, and other evidence as regards customer-specific requests, regulatory requirements, or industry standards. In fact, it may also provide information on the expected performance standard.
- Product Identity: This provides information on the product being verified. It entails product descriptions and codes among others.
- Supplier Information: Here, the details of the product supplier are provided. It usually includes their names, addresses, and other contact details.
- Signature Data: The COA finally includes a signature to show that the evidence provided involved the contribution of a qualified and authorized inspector.
So, What is COAs Used For?
A Certificate of Analysis is expected to provide valid information about how much the products you are offering can meet your customers’ expectations.
California cannabis compliance companies ensure cannabis products have undergone adequate testing to deliver the utmost satisfaction to the consumer.
Usually, it can be tough for a company to track every material being supplied from the beginning to the end. But a COA will provide in-depth data from inspecting such products.
Since credibility is a huge factor in attracting repeat customer patronage, business owners need to provide information such as the identity, purity, and quality of their products.
Top Reasons for Consumers and Producers to Consider COAs
1. A COA shows written evidence of a product’s makeup and what customers stand to gain. In essence, it helps manufacturers to target the specific needs of consumers.
2. A COA shows that the supplier can continue to deliver products to a measurable spec.
3. COAs can be specifically useful if a product is expected to be recalled or withdrawn. It would show that a product/batch/lot satisfies consumers’ key critical-to-quality trees (CTQs).
4. A COA notes who the actual manufacturer of a raw material is, so it can be traced throughout the supply chain of the final product.
Having a COA is of immense benefit both to producers and consumers. And one interesting thing about BelCosta cannabis testing lab is that once you provide information on what test you want to be done, we’ll pick up samples the following business day if you make your request via the Client Service Portal. And in fact, with a little extra cost, you can also get same-day pick-ups!
