and that ideal will probably spread to other countries, including the US. Without these certifications, you will seriously be limiting your future growth potential. Our goal is to help our clients be as successful as possible.Being compliant and getting certified is a cornerstone of success in this industry. Someday storefronts and ingredient buyers won’t even work with you without these kinds of safety assurances in place. Anyone who is falling behind won’t be around long enough to make their mark.
Once you have decided to move forward with cGMP Certification, ISO 9001, or ISO 22000 it’s good to know what that journey looks like in the cannabis industry. As you are probably aware, the cannabis industry is very different than other industries so make sure that if you are looking for assistance with this, look for someone that has done this kind of work before and knows the industry well. Here are the steps that take place when going through the process with almost any accredited certifying body:
Step 1: To begin the process a Gap Analysis is recommended, to get a baseline idea of what the facility already has in place and what it may still need to complete the certification process.
A gap analysis consists of a facility evaluation to determine if all required fixtures are in place, as well as a
SOP/documentation evaluation to determine the scope of the existing quality management system.
Step 2: Choose a cGMP Certifying Body The second step is to choose a cGMP certifying body who will conduct the certification audit and issue the certification. You will need to do some research and it is very important to find a certifying company that is actually accredited by someone like ANSI, because otherwise the certification is essentially irrelevant.
Step 3: The third step istocreatethe large number of SOPs and documentation required for certification. Approximately 50 different SOPs and/or documents are required for cGMP certification, and this can take anywhere from six months to two years to complete, depending on your business’s timeline, budget, and what you already have in place.