Green Leaf Lab, the nation’s first licensed and accredited cannabis analytical laboratory, is at the forefront of cross-contamination quality controls. Committed to consumer health and safety, Green Leaf Lab believes a key part of health and safety is transparency. Transparency on lab operations sheds light on how not all labs are the same. Here is a look into a few of the new methodologies and latest efforts that Green Leaf Lab takes throughout its testing process to protect their clients, consumers, and the cannabis community.
The testing process at Green Leaf Lab has meticulous quality control efforts incorporated into every step. Quality Control means there are a set of protocols in place to ensure that the processes adhere to a set of quality criteria. The first step is sampling. Green Leaf Lab is the first cannabis testing laboratory to receive a perfect score on their sampling procedures from the state’s accreditation agency. Green Leaf Lab performs all sampling in a manner consistent with state rules and regulations and internal laboratory protocols. Every sample they work on receives a specific sample ID to document a record of its entire testing process which contains up to 100 touch points. Sampling is the first step in lab analysis and is essential to ensure the final reports accurately represent the entirety of the batch and maintain the integrity of the sample.
After sampling is complete, they are routed immediately to the laboratory for intake. The intake process consists of three stages of quality control. Each sample is entered into the system following strict quality control protocols. Once entered, the samples go through two stages of review to ensure accuracy of the intake process and the sampling procedures. After detailed review, the samples are made available for the lab to begin testing.
The testing process begins with sample preparation. When a sample is prepared at Green Leaf Lab, batch quality controls (QCs) are in place to ensure testing is correct from the start. This includes instrument and batch level QCs, meaning quality control covers everything that comes into contact with the sample throughout this complex process. This helps ensure there will be no false positive or negative results. Green Leaf Lab implements a 35-point Quality Control Process in its testing.
Once the sample is prepped, analysis begins. Laboratory control samples are blank matrix samples that are spiked with a known amount of analytes, and the percent recovery of the spiked solution is measured on an instrument. These blanks mimic actual cannabis samples and are used to make sure the entire process is free of potential cross-contamination. 30% of samples tested in the laboratory are for quality control purposes.
Cross-contamination is a major concern in our industry and that is why Green Leaf Lab has created these additional steps to go the extra mile to protect their clients, consumers, and the cannabis community. Their improved quality control measures push the industry forward, demonstrating Green Leaf Lab’s continued leadership in the industry.
