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By Daniel Casciato

In Florida, one of the premier cannabis testing labs to turn to is Jacksonville-based Americanna Laboratories (Americanna), a laboratory facility with deep roots in agricultural, pharmaceutical and dietary supplements testing. Americanna performs advanced analytical testing for hemp and cannabis products from the farm to consumer using the most trusted and leading instrumentation which provides customers with greater accuracy, reliability, and faster turnaround times.

As one of the first approved by the USDA to be a Hemp Analytical Testing Laboratory in the country and the first in the State of Florida, Americanna conducts all analyses under the strictest of quality programs meeting ISO/IEC 17025, GLP and cGMP standards. Their laboratory facilities are registered with the FDA, EPA, and have been audited by these agencies to ensure compliance with GLP and cGMP standards.

In late December 2021, Americanna was granted regulatory approval from the Florida Department of Health to conduct medical marijuana compliance testing as the state’s most recent Certified Marijuana Testing Laboratory (CMTL). This will allow them to analyze medical marijuana samples from Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers who are providing much needed medicine to patients throughout the state.

The company is now the ninth facility licensed by the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) to perform consumer safety and quality control testing in the state of Florida. Under state regulations, medical marijuana testing labs can acquire, possess, test, transport, and lawfully dispose of medical cannabis only if licensed to do so by the OMMU.

“At Americanna, we have set a high standard for ourselves,” says Wyman Dickey, CEO of the company. “It’s great to see our dedicated team achieving, and in many cases, exceeding the goals we have set for them. Attaining our CMTL is another example of how our team surpasses benchmarks and raises future expectations.”

As a result of the certification, Dickey notes they can further expand their quality initiatives.

“Providing an assurance of safety to Florida medical marijuana patients is a serious endeavor,” he adds. “One we heartily understood and accepted when entering this industry. Our passion for the mission took root here in Florida, but it’s only the beginning. We are continuing our work to improve in every facet and expand our reach every day.”

30 Years of Testing Experience as a Minority Owned Business

As a leader in analytical testing services, Americanna Labs has set the standard for testing in the cannabis and hemp industry. The company is dedicated to providing the best, most reliable and accurate testing by bringing ADPEN Laboratories’ 30 years of analytical testing experience in agrochemical, pharmaceutical, nutritional and food safety to the cannabis lab.

The minority and family-owned company’s commitment to the highest laboratory quality standards translates into consumer safety and good science. With over three decades of testing experience, many Fortune 500 companies trust its analytical knowledge and services. In 2018, this led brothers Steven Perez and David Perez to form Americanna Laboratories.

“As an FDA and EPA audited facility, we understand the most stringent quality standard requirements to which our clients must adhere,” explains Steven Perez, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer. “We save our clients time, money and effort by managing, coordinating and reporting multiple test results under one roof, while providing the highest level of assurance of safety for the end-user.”

Accomplishments Over the Years

Americanna’s experience with FDA regulations provides new manufacturers a trustworthy partner who can advise clients on the importance of method testing and setting specifications for product ingredients and characteristics.

One of its proudest achievements is an ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation by PJLA, an international accreditation body. After earning that ISO certification, Americanna became one of just seven testing labs statewide added to the FDACS approved lab (List of Approved Designated Laboratories) for THC Testing. Florida is known for having one of the most stringent hemp regulatory programs in the country. Licensed hemp growers must have all hemp grown in Florida sampled for THC compliance (not to exceed 0.3%) within 30 days of harvest by one of the seven approved labs on the list.

Last year, the company expanded its scope of ISO accreditation to include more products and offer a one-stop testing solution, which complies with FDA regulations. Tests such as identification, potency, dosage uniformity, homogeneity dissolution and shelf-life along with contaminant testing for pesticides, microbial agents, residual solvents and heavy metals can all be done in-house at its facility.

Looking Ahead

Recently, the company’s method development for testing Delta 8 products has allowed for greater peak separation to be identified and provide greater service to its existing clients.

“Based on the needs of our clients, we had added more testing of dietary supplements which coincides well with our 30+ years of experience as an analytical lab,” says Dickey. “We also offer potency to full panel testing on hemp and cannabis products. This allows clients to first view the potency results prior to tests being run for heavy metals, residual solvents, mycotoxins, and pesticides. This can save a client time and money if a product does not meet their manufactured expectations. Certain clients developing specific formulations and ratios of cannabinoids benefit from our high level of customer service.”

All of these items lead up to a firm footing for the start of 2022, says Dickey. While expansion is on the horizon, he says that the focus will always remain on consumer safety and bringing added value to its clients.

“The Americanna Lab team is poised to make this happen,” he concludes.

For more information, visit americannalaboratories.com.