Cannabis and Consumer Safety - A Full Spectrum Solution

Apart from Cannabis consulting, I have a background in food production. You can be one helluva good chef, but if you don’t pay attention to proven hygiene and safety protocols, it is only a matter of time before someone contracts food poisoning and falls ill. Although rather unpleasant, the majority of people will recover in due course however, the young, the elderly and the infirm, are very real risk factors and for them the potential outcome is death.

In this article, I am going to explore what?large-scale cannabis producers?can do to?improve their cultivation strategies. I will also discuss the various layers of protection against pathogens that cultivators need to implement and why it is important to have some kind of?“end of process” decontamination step?in place.?

Whilst the topic of decontamination & remediation is controversial, I fully believe it is essential to balance safety concerns with economic considerations, as crop loss due to contamination can be costly for producers. As more and more cannabis brands keep failing?regulatory testing for contaminants, producers?are increasingly turning to radiation,?e-beam,?ozone gas?or hydrogen peroxide as?remediation methods to ensure compliance and avoid costly product recalls.?These technologies can help?reduce the potential for crop loss due to contamination, while at the same time maintaining necessary standards for safe consumption.?

That being said, any form of cannabis remediation can never replace good cultivation standards?but even more importantly…it cannot and must not serve as an eraser for bad ones.

To improve both their cultivation strategies?and consumer safety, producers need to implement various?layers?or firewalls of protection against pathogens.

Perhaps the most important foundation and therefore the first layer?of protection against pathogens, is a robust sanitation program. This involves regular cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces and equipment that come into contact with cannabis plants or products, as well as strict protocols for employee hygiene and behavior. By implementing these measures, cultivators can significantly reduce the risk of contamination and?therefore?minimize the need for remediation.

The second layer?is correct genetic?selection. This involves selecting cultivars?that are resistant to common pathogens. Although microbes are universally present almost everywhere…cultivating strains that are naturally resistant help ensure that both the spread of infection is limited and that plant performance as well as flower yields remain high.

The third layer?is precision environmental control. This involves efficiently maintaining optimal growing conditions, such as temperature and humidity, that promote healthy plant growth and minimize the risk of pathogen growth. Granted…this is much more easily said than done, but?producers must budget accordingly and spec the correct equipment for the right environmental and climatic conditions. Despite what a good salesman may?tell you, there is no set formula when it comes to cannabis cultivation and it is usually better to have a smaller, more efficient footprint than to roll out the wrong equipment at large scale. Most competent cultivators?can confirm it is much easier to use profits to systematically grow your business, rather than spend them on expensive retrofits that will only partially solve the problems and leave you forever chasing your tail.

The fourth layer concerns water systems management. It is crucial to keep all irrigation and evaporative cooling systems clean to prevent the growth and spread of harmful pathogens that can infect the plants and compromise the final product. When?these?systems are contaminated with bacteria, fungi, or other microorganisms, they can quickly colonize and spread throughout the plants, leading to reduced yield, quality, and potency.?Regular flushing and cleaning of all tanks, lines, filters, emitters, nozzles, tubing and cellulose pads is non-negotiable and absolutely essential.

The fifth?layer?is integrated pest management. This involves using approved?chemical or bio control measures, natural predators and other non-residual?techniques to help control?plant?pests that are known disease vectors and thus?preventing the spread of pathogens.

The sixth layer is correct drying and curing of the flower. Overall, the drying and curing process is a delicate balance between removing excess moisture and preserving the integrity of the plant material. During the curing process, the cannabis flower is carefully dried and aged under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and airflow. This allows for the gradual release of free water from the plant material, while the bound water becomes more tightly bound to the plant material.?When done correctly, curing can lead to a more potent, flavorful, and aromatic product with an increased amount of bound water and decreased amount of free water, as well as a?reduced risk of microbial growth and spoilage.?

Here at Yofumo, the seventh and final layer?is using our Pro + ozone units, as a post-harvest “end of process” step?in order to ensure regulatory microbial limits are met and that consumer safety is guaranteed. Although our equipment is more than capable of dealing with some pretty high numbers in terms of CFU/g, it works best if all the above layers have been correctly implemented, thus requiring less time to safely decontaminate the finished flower and exhibiting far less risk of any negative effects on medicinal plant compounds and sensitive terpenes.

In addition?to all of the above, cultivators must remain pro-active?and closely monitor their plants throughout the cultivation process, taking regular samples for testing and using data to?make?informed?decisions about watering, feeding, and other common cultivation practices.

The bottom line:?no remediation method is perfect. Prevention of microbial contamination is a way better approach, but to be truthful…all three conventional approaches to cannabis cultivation – outdoors, greenhouses and indoor grow operations – make it extremely difficult to control contamination, especially when cultivating it at scale. Regardless of the method used, the goal of cannabis decontamination or remediation, is to produce a safer?product for consumers while maintaining a profit for the producer.

Ultimately, the key to successful cannabis cultivation is a holistic approach that emphasizes prevention, detection, and response. By implementing robust sanitation practices, investing in employee training and oversight, and using a range of protective measures, cultivators can minimize the risk of contamination and ensure that their products are safe and effective for patients and consumers alike.

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