What is Required on CBD Labels?

2018 saw Donald Trump sign the Farm Bill into legislation. The bill legalized hemp extracts such as CBD for industrial use and are currently seen as agricultural products. This saw an avalanche of CBD products in the market under the health and wellbeing brackets.

However, labeling these items is complex as there is a lack of detailed rules around the product’s surging fame. CBD product sellers, both large and small, have felt the effect of the problematic situation. The sheer volume of vendors in the market and the lack of clarity on regulations led to incorrectly labeled products, infringements, and numerous lawsuits for mislabeling and fraudulent marketing tactics. Many vendors misrepresent the ingredients and impact of their products to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

It got so bad that in 2020 the FDA made a report to congress shedding light on the rampant mislabeling of CBD products. Data from the report came from a study of 200 hemp-derived products available online. The mislabeling was so rampant that above 50% of the items tested differed in their actual CBD content by more than 20% from what was on the label. The report also laid out that almost half of the products contained THC or related chemicals. Hemp products should contain less than 0.3% THC in order to avoid audits for having marijuana.

What Should Your CBD Label Have?

Before getting to what your CBD label should have, the importance of working enough with a custom labeling service to avoid violations and ensure your customers get the quality they deserve. Having an experienced company such as Quadra Flex on your side greatly streamlines your labeling process from design to implementation. On the topic of labeling requirements, Quadra Flex custom CBD labels ensure your packaging adheres to legal stipulations. Furthermore, their detail-oriented nature and experience guarantee custom CBD labels that will attract consumers for years to come.

Your CBD label is required to have:

• Product identification. You must include what your product is and is doing on the product display panel of the label. Do not mistake this for your brand or company name, though it should be as easily visible. It is not necessary to place it on both the inner and outer sides of your packaging. However, it is a great convenience for customers.
• The net amount of content. Companies are required to indicate the actual amount of product minus any packaging, in addition to the level of active CBD per serving. Normally, this will be in the form of weight for solids and volume for fluids. The net contents placement should be on the bottom 30% of the product display panel of the outer packaging and on an informational panel on the inner cover.
• The location and name of the business. This facilitates a way for customers to reach the producer or manufacturer. The name and address should be included on an informational panel on the outer and inner containers of your item. Phone numbers and QR codes are a good way to make it easy for customers to get additional information.
• A list of ingredients. All CBD products must have a detailed and accurate list of ingredients. This should be on the informational dashboard on the outer pack. Having it on the inner container is not a requirement if it is already on the outside, but if not, they must include a list on the product sleeve itself.
• Cautionary and warning labeling. Common best practices should come first. These include warning labels for pregnant women and children and complications arising from consuming CBD while on medication. It is also beneficial to include a warning that people may fail drug tests when consuming hemp products.
• Material fact disclosure. These are facts or information that are relevant or essential to the consumer. This can include appropriate times to use the product, food interactions, whether to take on a full or empty stomach, expiration dates, date of manufacture, or product codes.

Custom CBD Labels Best Practices.

Having appropriate labeling on your CBD products will save you a fortune in terms of fines from authorities such as the FDA. In the wake of the 2020 FDA report, many vendors faced lawsuits, fines, and the halting of operations. To preserve your enterprise’s longevity, you have to adopt a set of best practices. These will help guide your labeling and may even keep you out of court. These include:

• Be specific. On top of presenting standard information, it is essential to be detail-oriented with elements such as CBD purity, amount, and precise concentration of THC. Other elements that are important to distinguish are whether the product is:
  • Full spectrum. It has trace amounts of all components of the cannabis plant, including THC.
  • Broad-spectrum. No THC or other elements of the cannabis plant are included.
  • Only has CBD with no other compounds from the cannabis plant.

Also, you need to know whether your product is a food or a supplement. This is important because the FDA has separate sets of rules for both.

To avoid complications, it is best to get professional help when developing your labels. Quadra Flex Quality Labels harness the professional experience and expertise gathered over decades to produce a legal and captivating product. You get both functionality and beautiful aesthetics when you go the Quadra route. You will also be pleased to know that with Quadra, size does not matter. You could be a small start-up or a global brand. They will handle all order sizes from 100 to 250,000 labels.

• Be honest. Post-2020, many companies found themselves facing action from the FDA for false claims on their labels. Among the false benefits were diabetes prevention and reversal, anxiety alleviation, improved cardiac function, pain relief, and freedom from depression. If you include any hyperbolic promises on your labels, it is clever to also state that your statements have not been verified by the FDA. Also, include statements telling customers that your product is not meant for diagnosis, treatment, curing, or prevention of any maladies. Considering the scrutiny the industry has faced in the recent past, it is best to be very careful about what you claim your product can achieve.
• Package optimization for quality and safety. The FDA has requirements for holding apparatus, product packaging, dietary supplements, and labels. They are as follows:
  • Packaging should have the ability to hold item/s in suitable conditions in temperature, luminosity, and humidity such that purity, composition, strength, and identity are maintained.
  • Product labels should have e-signatures.
  • Ensure products are held under suitable conditions such that the label and packaging are not severely affected.
  • Packaging must be maintained in conditions that prevent contamination, degradation of the package, components, labels, and dietary supplements.
  • CBD product packaging should be air-tight, green, amber or blue, bottle or glass containers with child-safe locks. The colors help prevent deterioration by UV rays, and glass does not absorb oil.