Where Food Comes From Inc. (WFCF)

[Mr Fox]

WFCF: now exclusive certification body in the U.S.
Wednesday, 02. January 2019
Raw Materials + Commodities
Castle Rock / CO. (wfcf) Where Food Comes From Inc. (WFCF), the most trusted resource for independent, third-party verification of food production practices in North America, announced it has been named Program Administrator for the new U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified verification standard. Under the agreement, WFCF’s Validus Verification Services unit was named as exclusive certification body for hemp growers and processors seeking to comply with the standard and earn the right to display the U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified seal in their product labelling, advertising and marketing.

Participating hemp growers and processors will be educated in FDA best practices designed to reassure consumers and law enforcement that hemp-based products displaying the certification seal are both safe and legal. Specifically, the certification process evaluates quality management systems, master manufacturing records, ISO quality standards, current good manufacturing practices and employee training for best practices.

The U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified program was developed with the support of the US Hemp Roundtable in anticipation of passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which was recently overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law this month. The bill legalized hemp farming in the US following years of prohibition due to misconceptions about the product. Although a member of the cannabis family, hemp does not have the psychotropic effects of THC, which is found in marijuana, which is also a member of the cannabis family. For more information on the U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified, go to http://www.ushempauthority.org/

Hemp has thousands of applications and is used in the production of products ranging from textiles and construction materials to biofuels and plastics. A key driver in passage of the legislation was the medicinal quality of cannabidiol, or CBD, which is finding broad market acceptance in the treatment of pain, anxiety and other medical issues. The most notable medicinal benefit to date involves treatment of Epileptic seizures, which in clinical trials were greatly reduced in severity with CBD-based drug therapy that has since been approved by the FDA.

Hemp is a highly sustainable, eco-friendly crop that requires less water to grow, is naturally pest resistant and is effective in restoring polluted soil and reducing erosion. Hemp was an USD 820 million industry in 2017, with more than two-thirds of that total comprised of food, supplements, personal care and CBD oil. With passage of the 2018 Farm bill, the total market for hemp-based products is expected by some analysts to grow to nearly USD 2.0 billion by 2022.

«Our selection to administer this program puts Where Food Comes From at the forefront of a major new health and wellness movement in the US today,» said John Saunders, CEO of Where Food Comes From. «The growing popularity of food, beverage and medicinal products containing CBD oil creates a challenge for consumers who are concerned about the origin, quality and quantity of CBD in the products they consume. The creation of the U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified program demonstrates the hemp industry’s commitment to establishing and enforcing quality standards for growers and processors who believe consumers deserve high levels of transparency.»

Michael Mona III, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of CV Sciences, a founding member of the US Hemp Roundtable, said, «We are pleased to welcome Where Food Comes From as Program Administrator for the new U.S. Hemp Authority™ Certified program. Consumer interest and demand for industrial hemp products is growing exponentially and we believe those consumers are entitled to full transparency with respect to product quality, safety and consistency. Where Food Comes From is a nationally recognized, trusted provider of independent third party verification to some of the largest food companies in America and is ideally suited to manage this important new program.»

About Where Food Comes From Inc.
Where Food Comes From Inc. is America’s trusted resource for third party verification of food production practices. The Company supports more than 15,000 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands and restaurants with a wide variety of value-added services through its IMI Global, International Certification Services, Validus Verification Services, SureHarvest, A Bee Organic and Sterling Solutions units. In addition, the Company’s Where Food Comes From® retail and restaurant labelling program utilizes the verification of product attributes to connect consumers to the sources of the food they purchase through product labeling and web-based information sharing and education.