Building Hemp/CBD Brand Credibility through Certification

Displayed by many leading hemp and CBD brands, the U.S. Hemp Authority® Certification is the program relied upon by the industry and consumers alike to demonstrate product transparency and safety. But there are many aspects to consider when building credibility and assuring the quality of hemp and CBD products. When defining a food or supplement safety and quality plan, it is important to know which regulations apply to your products, which certifications are the best fit, and how to effectively and efficiently achieve compliance goals.

This webinar featured an overview of U.S. Hemp Authority Certification, BRCGS, and cGMP’s, the similarities and differences of the three certifications, and how bundling services can save resources and reduce audit fatigue.

Webinar Objectives:

Review 21 CFR 111 and 21 CFR 117 regulations and how they apply to hemp/CBD products
Discuss the requirements of U.S. Hemp Authority Certification, BRCGS, and cGMP’s, and the similarities and differences between the three certifications
Learn how to define a pathway to brand and product credibility through trusted third-party certifications

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Meet our Presenters:

John B. Atwater, Ph.D.

Principal Consultant - Ataqua Regulatory Services, LLC; and Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Project Manager - Decernis

John B. Atwater has over 30 years of experience in analytical chemistry, quality assurance and healthcare product development. Dr. Atwater is currently the principal consultant at Ataqua Regulatory Services, and a scientific and regulatory affairs project manager at Decernis. Prior to his current role, John worked at the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for 19 years, most recently as senior director of USP’s verification programs. Dr. Atwater helped develop and implement the most stringent national/international verification program for dietary supplements, dietary ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients. He is a Regulatory Affairs Certified (RAC) professional, member of the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) and member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Jessica Burke

Delivery Partner Relationship Manager - BRCGS

With over 18 years of experience, Jessica began her career in an environmental and food testing laboratory. Following that, she held various roles in quality assurance and food safety in the food manufacturing industry, where she helped multiple companies strengthen their food safety systems and achieve GFSI certification. Jessica has held multiple roles within BRCGS, including Technical Specialist for the Gluten-Free Certification Program and Plant-Based Global Standard, and Senior Technical Manager for the Americas region. In her current position as Delivery Partners Relationship Manager, her role is to support BRCGS Delivery Partners in delivering world class service, through collaboration, facilitation and technical education.

Larisa Pavlick

Vice President of Global Regulatory and Compliance - United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA)

Larisa has over 24+ years of combined experience working in the dietary supplement industry and nearly eight years at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Larisa worked as Consumer Safety Officer/Investigator for the FDA in the Denver District Office. While at the FDA, she primarily conducted inspections and investigations for dietary supplement firms and ingredient suppliers. She has conducted inspections both domestically and internationally. Many of her peers recognized her as a resource and subject matter expert for dietary supplements. Larisa is trained and qualified to conduct Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspections, as well as specialized, technical food inspections. She is a Lead FSPCA Instructor for Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCQI) and Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Her work experience includes employment at Univera Pharmaceuticals (now Unigen), Amrion (then owned by WholeFoods and acquired by Nature’s Bounty), NSF, and Industrial Labs just to name a few.