New Year, Fresh Company Goals

Kim Anzarut, CEO and founder of Allay Consulting | Image Credit: © Kim Anzarut

A Guide to Certification Success in 2025

As we ring in the new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on where your business stands and set meaningful goals for growth. One of the best ways to position your company for long-term success in the cannabis and plant medicine industries is by achieving quality and safety certifications. These certifications not only distinguish you from competitors but may also be required by state regulations or rewarded with incentives.

Beyond regulatory benefits, certifications improve efficiency, reduce the risk of recalls, enhance consumer confidence, and increase the overall value of your business. One often overlooked perk? Higher employee satisfaction—teams appreciate clear expectations and streamlined processes.

Let’s break down some of the most sought-after certifications and why they might be the key to unlocking your business's next chapter of success.

Key Certifications for the Cannabis and Psilocybin Industries

1. Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)

Current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, are essential for ensuring consistent, high-quality product manufacturing. Developed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these standards apply to food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. When it comes to cannabis there are a few different sets of regulations you can fall under depending on what kinds of products you are manufacturing – CFR 111 is for supplements, CFR 117 is food and food ingredients, and CFR 211 is for pharmaceuticals. Certification requires thorough documentation and meticulous control over all manufacturing processes to guarantee that products meet rigorous standards for identity, strength, quality, and purity. This kind of certification is for product manufacturing facilities that cover a wide range of types of plant medicine products such as edibles, tinctures, capsules, pre-rolls, leaf powder products, eye drops, suppositories, inhalers, vapes, kief, solventless extractions, solvent extractions, isolates, derivative cannabinoids, hydrocarbon extractions, teas, and topicals just to name a few.

Achieving cGMP certification can:

• Reduce contamination, recall, and foodborne illness risks
• Improve operational efficiency and increased employee retention
• Increase market access, as many large retailers require cGMP certification before stocking products such as Walmart, Amazon, etc.
• Ensures preparedness once federally legal – FDA compliance and interstate/ international sales

This certification is best suited for post-harvest processes, including extraction, infusion, packaging, and storage facilities.

2. Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP)

GACP guidelines, established by the World Health Organization (WHO), focus on best practices for cultivating, harvesting, and processing medicinal plants. These guidelines help ensure the sustainable and responsible production of high-quality plant materials.

Benefits of GACP standards:

• Improve the safety and efficacy of medicinal plant products
• Support environmental conservation and sustainability
• Reduce contamination
• Improve operational efficiency and increase employee retention
• Increase market access; Many major retailers (e.g., Walmart, Amazon) require cGMP certification for finished products before stocking them. Since cGMP compliance necessitates raw materials from GACP-certified sources, obtaining GACP certification is critical for suppliers looking to sell plant-based ingredients to manufacturers and retailers. Ensures preparedness once federally legal – interstate and international sales.

GACP certification is ideal for cultivation and harvesting operations, particularly those involved in initial processing stages such as cutting, drying, and freezing.

3. ISO 9001

ISO 9001 outlines requirements for a comprehensive quality management system applicable to businesses of all sizes and sectors. Unlike cGMP, which focuses strictly on production, ISO 9001 emphasizes continual improvement across an entire organization, making it a versatile option for cannabis and psilocybin companies. This certification is really just a document management system to ensure proper documentation and communication between departments is efficient.

Benefits of ISO 9001 certification include:

• Enhanced customer satisfaction
• Streamlined processes
• Increased business credibility

4. ISO 22000

For companies in the food supply chain, ISO 22000 combines ISO 9001’s quality management approach with cGMP standards and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. This certification ensures food safety management from cultivation through distribution. This standard is what most countries require in order to sell internationally, and may be the next step for your company after receiving a cGMP or GACP Certification.

ISO 22000 is suitable for cultivation, manufacturing, storage, and distribution facilities.

5. Organic Certification

Consumers are increasingly drawn to organic products, making organic certification a valuable asset. It demonstrates a commitment to environmental stewardship and transparent production practices, including water conservation, biodiversity preservation, and soil health improvement.

While federal regulations currently prevent THC cannabis products from receiving organic certification, hemp cultivation and processing facilities can obtain this certification. This can be an amazing way to show that your company cares deeply about its customers and to help your brand stand out among your competitors.

State-Specific Certification Requirements and Incentives

Many states are moving toward requiring or incentivizing certifications for cannabis businesses. This trend signals a broader push for alignment with FDA standards, and obtaining certification now positions companies ahead of impending regulatory changes.

Here’s a snapshot of current state regulations and incentives:

Colorado

Hemp companies seeking safe harbor registration must demonstrate cGMP compliance within 12 months of registration. Third-party audits are required annually to maintain compliance.

Florida

The Florida Department of Health mandates that medical marijuana processing facilities obtain cGMP certification within a year of licensure. Failure to comply results in a processing halt until certification is achieved.

Maryland

Manufacturers of edibles and dietary supplements, including medical marijuana products, must comply with cGMP CFR 111 standards and gain certification through a third-party certification company.

Michigan

Infused beverage manufacturers must secure cGMP certification to operate. The state incentivizes other cannabis producers and cultivators to obtain cGMP or GACP certification through reduced sampling and testing requirements.

Missouri

All cannabis businesses must implement a Quality Management System (QMS) based on published standards. GMP certification is a state requirement for medical marijuana producers, who have one year to establish a QMS after departmental approval.

New York

Processors under the state’s hemp program must maintain cGMP certification or present a plan for certification within six months of licensure. Third-party GMP audits are necessary to secure a cannabinoid hemp processor license.

Why Certification Matters for Long-Term Success

Achieving certification is not just about compliance—it’s about safeguarding your business's future. As plant medicine regulations continue evolving and federal oversight becomes inevitable, companies that prioritize quality and safety today will be better equipped to navigate tomorrow’s regulatory landscape.

Investing in certifications fosters a culture of continuous improvement, builds trust with consumers, and positions your brand as a leader in the industry. If you’re not preparing for certification yet, ask yourself: What’s holding you back? The time to act is now.

Partnering for Certification Success

Navigating the certification process can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Partnering with experts who understand the intricacies of the cannabis and plant medicine industries can streamline your path to compliance and set you up for success.

Finding the right partners to assist with guiding your business through the certification journey, from documentation and SOP development to audit preparation and beyond is incredibly important. Do your homework and speak to experts that have been in the industry for a while and have a track record of success. Sometimes the cheapest option for a certifier isn’t always the best and make sure your certification is accredited, because anything non accredited doesn’t hold water when it comes to future interstate and international sales requirements. As you set your goals for 2025, consider how certification can be a key part of your growth strategy.

Happy New Year and here’s to your success in 2025!

About the Author

Kim Anzarut, CQA, CP-FS is the CEO and founder of Allay Consulting. Direct correspondence to: kim.anzarut@allayconsulting.com.