A certificate of analysis is an analytical report on the contents of a product. It includes information about the tests and their results, providing full transparency into the quality of the product and trustworthiness of a brand.

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Learning how to read a certificate of analysis will help you make informed purchases by showing you exactly what you're getting. Unlike medical and recreational marijuana products, hemp products only need to be tested for THC content to make it to market. Because cannabis is a fantastic bioremediator (it sucks harmful contaminants out of the soil), it's important to test for contaminants and ensure levels are well below what's considered safe for consumption.

The first section of the report provides an overview of what was tested for and the results of those tests. "Not Tested" appears in places of "Passed" for categories that weren't tested. For hemp, the only required test is for potency to ensure products are below the legal limit of 0.3% Delta 9 THC.

The results section is broken down by contaminant category. Each contaminant that was tested for is shown with its Action Level, LOQ, and Result. The Action Level is the max quantity determined safe for human consumption. LOQ tells us the level of quantification, or actual amount present in the sample. Under results, <LOQ means the amount detected was lower than the Action Level, resulting in a passed test.