Product Quality and Certificates of Analysis for Hemp and CBD Products

Product Quality

Apart from the one approved CBD medicine, CBD products have not been evaluated by the FDA to determine what the proper dosage is, how they interact with other drugs, or whether they have safety concerns. [1] The FDA says it has tested the chemical content of some products and many did not contain the level of CBD they claimed. [1] It is also investigating reports of unsafe levels of contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals and THC. [1] NCCIH adds that over-the-counter CBD products may contain more or less CBD than stated and may contain contaminants such as THC. [2]

Two independent laboratory studies show the scale of the problem in the US market:

In the 2024 study, heavy metals were detected 52 times across 44 of the 202 products, with lead the most common. [3] Residual solvents (chemicals left from manufacturing) turned up 446 times across 181 products, and 26 of 232 pesticides tested were found 55 times across 30 products. [3] The authors reported that 3% of heavy metal findings and 1% each of solvent and pesticide findings violated more than one regulatory threshold. [3]

Evidence labels: these are observational lab findings in samples bought at a point in time. They show a pattern, not the quality of any named product. The FDA says it has seen only limited data about CBD's safety. [1] See CBD (cannabidiol).

Certificates of Analysis

A certificate of analysis (also called a CoA or lab report) is a lab test report that gives information on the safety, quality and potency of a product. [5] New Jersey's cannabis regulator published a plain guide to reading one. It describes licensed cannabis products, so use it as an example of the parts of a report, not as a rule for hemp and CBD bought elsewhere. [5]

A typical report has these parts:

• Product and batch details. A batch or lot number is a unique identifier for that product batch, so the report can be traced. [5] A report that covers a different batch than the one in your hand tells you little.
• The lab. The New Jersey guide says the report shows the name and license number of the licensed laboratory that did the test. [5] If no lab is named, you cannot check who tested.
• Cannabinoid profile. This lists amounts of compounds such as THC and CBD. The guide notes that THCA is the acid precursor of delta-9 THC. [5] A report may therefore list both forms, so read both lines.
• Contaminant tests. Tests can look for pesticides, mold, heavy metals, residual solvents or other substances that could pose health risks. [5] Mycotoxins are toxic substances made by fungi or mold. [5] Heavy metals are toxic elements the plant can absorb from soil, such as lead, mercury, arsenic and chromium. [5] Residual solvent testing is listed for extracts and vapes. [5]

What a certificate of analysis cannot prove

• It describes a sample, not every unit. In the gummy study, CBD and THC varied from gummy to gummy within a single bottle. [4] One lab number does not guarantee each serving.
• It is only as good as who made it. The sources we read did not define a single national standard for what a CBD report must show, so a report from the seller's own choice of lab is a claim to check, not proof.
• It does not make a product legal or proven. The FDA says THC and CBD products are excluded from the dietary supplement definition, and CBD cannot be added to food sold across state lines. [6][2] A clean report says nothing about whether a product works; the FDA says unapproved products have not been evaluated for effectiveness or dosage. [6]
• It does not replace medical advice. CBD can cause liver injury and can change how other medicines work, whatever the lab report shows. [1]

Simple checks before relying on a product

1. Does a report exist for this batch number, from a named lab?
2. Does it list the contaminant tests above, or only CBD potency?
3. Does the measured CBD roughly match the label, and does the THC result match what you expect?
4. Does the label or seller make disease claims? The FDA has warned a company over unsubstantiated claims for conditions including autism, ADHD, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. [6] Treat those as marketing claims.

For medicines you already take, see medication interactions and supplement quality and contamination. For label basics, see CBD products and labels. Laws differ by country and change over time; this is not legal advice.