Just because a baked good or ice cream treat is infused with THC or CDB (Cannabidiol), doesn’t mean you can make it without the underlying guideline and principles of your health department or FDA when manufacturing an edible.
Best Practices are used to maintain quality as an alternative to mandatory legislated standards and can be based on self-assessment or benchmarking. Food safety can be the make or break difference in the overall success of a business. Food contamination or food poisoning is defined as any illness resulting from the food spoilage of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food.
No matter if you’re infusing ice cream, cookies or candy; cross contamination, improper ingredient handling, insufficient cooking or storage temperature are just a few factors that can contribute to making a person ill after consuming your product. Here are a few points that can help you reduce the potential of making a bacteria latent product:
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- Obtain sanitation training to reduce the potential of unsanitized items coming in contact with a consumable good
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- Adhere to hand wash, hairnet, beard net and clothing policy
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- Utilize a controlled “clean room” or manufacturing space
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- Monitor cooking and refrigeration temperatures on a regular basis
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- Use 3rd party food testing lab to report on high bacteria colony counts
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- Adhere to jewelry, eating and phone policy
- Utilize NSF approved commercial equipment
In the THC/CBD infused business, if proper care practices are not taken seriously or abided by, then you risk the potential of earning a bad brand reputation, invoking harm to others and probably eliminate the potential of getting a repeat customer. Making products in your kitchen and selling to the public is listed as a Cottage Business which has it’s limitations.
About a year ago I wrote an article on the subject of cottage industry. If you are serious about opening a business in infused consumables, then don’t waste your time and money on launching from your home kitchen. Invest in a manufacturing space that will allow you the opportunity to operate a business and sell to a dispensary.
Proper packaging and labeling, using commercial equipment and following a standardized process in a licensed facility, is the basic recipe for a successful business.
Contact Darryl, he can help you in the business of THC and CDB infused treats and get you out of the kitchen and into commercial manufacturing for retail sales.
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