MOH Approval Granted for Hemp Testing

Date: 4 May 2020
Author: Hill Laboratories

Hill Laboratories was granted ‘Approved Laboratory’ status in March this year by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and can now offer THC testing on industrial hemp samples, for compliance with the Misuse of Drugs (Industrial Hemp) Regulations 2006. As part of our commitment to innovation and growth into new industries, Hill Laboratories heavily invested in research and development to produce a MoH accredited cannabinoid method for our approval application. We are the first privately owned laboratory in New Zealand to obtain accreditation for our method and be granted the ‘Approved Laboratory’ status.

Hemp growers have to prove that the flower from their crop contains under 0.35% total THC in order to comply with regulations. The testing is typically done around three weeks before harvest, as the seed is still developing. As our MoH approval was granted after the harvest season had started, many growers had already submitted their samples for testing. It was exciting that we were still able to test samples that were on the tail-end of harvesting, but we are looking forward to next season when we can provide excellent customer service, industry-leading turnaround times and accurate results for the whole industry, at an affordable rate.

With the window for THC testing already behind us, the final product will be coming to market; nutritious and delicious hemp seed. Hemp seed is a very good source of omega fatty acids.

Hill Laboratories also offers food microbiology, pesticide testing, nutritional tests and more on this product. If you require further testing of your hemp seed, please get in touch with our Food & Bioanalytical Client Services Team through fnb.csm@hill-labs.co.nz.