SEBASTOPOL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today LeafWorks, a female-founded plant genetics company specializing in botanical identification, launched its proprietary LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification to combat fraud and mislabeling in the marketplace and solve a pervasive problem among cannabis cultivators, distributors, and consumers: verifiable ingredient authenticity and sourcing.
The LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification offers guaranteed transparency across every step of the cannabis supply chain and helps businesses build brand equity and consumer confidence. The DNA validation system allows breeders and growers to confirm that their plants are what they are supposed to be as they move through the supply chain, as well as provide proof of product veracity at distribution. The service also provides security in the event of recalls.
With the LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification, distributors and buyers are able to request the LeafWorks-Certification seal, which provides assurance to consumers that they are getting the exact strain they expect for medicinal consistency and overall experience.
“LeafWorks has always been dedicated to serving the people and organizations that built the US cannabis industry,” said LeafWorks CEO Eleanor Kuntz, PhD. “The LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification is an extension of this commitment to protect companies and consumers from mislabeling and fraud.”
How the LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification Works
The LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification works in four steps - assess, record, sequence, and compare. LeafWorks assesses the supply chain of the company to establish where necessary checkpoints are needed to ensure label fidelity. LeafWorks then arranges for a physical record to be made through the Canndor Herbarium, the world’s first and only cannabis herbarium, a separate non-profit that documents and preserves cannabis diversity and record of cultivation. LeafWorks sequences DNA from these samples to create a genetic reference or “control sample” from which downstream material and products can be compared. This control sample serves as a product baseline that can be tracked and confirmed at a later date. As material moves through each supply chain checkpoint, the customer submits additional samples. LeafWorks then compares the genetic sequence of the control to the new samples to determine whether the sequences match. This binary positive or negative result indicates whether label fidelity is maintained and if a company receives the LeafWorks Certification seal. Ultimately, this genetic service confirms that plant material in the supply chain is consistent over time, across locations, and throughout physical processing. LeafWorks incorporates random audits into the system to ensure companies adhere to certification.
What Makes the LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification Different?
Unlike the “California Cannabis Track and Trace,” which only tracks the quantity of product, the LeafWorks Supply Chain Certification verifies the product source within the supply chain and validates the product’s authenticity and is customizable to any supply chain setup.
About LeafWorks
LeafWorks is a female-founded plant genetics company in Northern California that creates botanical DNA verification tests and services for the cannabis and herbal industries; DNA tools that are built with the community to serve the community. Comprised of a diverse leadership team of specialized plant geneticists trained in next-generation genomic methods, chemistry, and bioinformatics, LeafWorks is the first herbal genetics company to offer a comprehensive DNA validation system in the cannabis and hemp markets, and it is the first herbal genetics company to apply modern science with a socially conscious approach. For more information, please visit www.LeafWorks.com. Follow @LeafWorksDNA via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
