56% Of CBD Pet Products Are Labeled Incorrectly

CBD watchdog Leafreport just released findings from a study revealing that 56 percent of pet products have inaccurate label claims. As is the case with products formulated for humans, this can lead to a waste of money at best and unanticipated negative health outcomes at worst. Leafreport sent 55 pet CBD products for independent testing at Canalysis Laboratories in Las Vegas. Most of the products tested were CBD oils but there were also some edibles and topical products in the mix. At Canalysis, technicians tested the products and recorded the results in certificates of analysis. Leafreport then compared the amount of CBD shown on the COAs to the advertised CBD content of each product and looked at what other cannabinoids were detected by the tests. The results suggest that despite the progress made regarding consistent quality and potency of products, there is still a ways to go.

It’s no secret that reliable testing of CBD and THC levels in products is challenging, particularly when it comes to edibles. In a recent study by Johns Hopkins, researchers discovered that only 17 percent of edibles were accurately labeled in regards to THC concentration while only one product tested with an accurate THC to CBD ratio.  

Consistent with similar findings on CBD products for humans, Leafreport found that pet edibles and topicals are usually less accurate than oils and tinctures, with many companies scoring particularly poorly for their edible pet products. Furthermore, when a company claims that a product contains “full-spectrum CBD”, as many edibles marketed towards pet owners do, that means that the product should contain some level of THC (.3% or less). Despite this, 22 out of the 55 products tested by Leafreport had no THC at all. Only 44% of the tested products had CBD levels within 10% of the label, which is required for an “A” rating in the report. Some products were off as much as 98.5 percent from the label’s claim. 

Most products (58%) contained more CBD than advertised. Pet CBD oils actually performed reasonably well, but poor results for edibles and topicals negatively impacted the overall accuracy of CBD pet product labeling. Of all of the products tested, standouts for label accuracy included a CBD oil from Joy Organics and both CBD chews and oil from Seattle-based company Austin and Kat. Some of the worst results were posted by Petly CBD’s Small Dog Tincture, which was 36.9% off from the advertised amount, while Blue Moon Hemp’s CBD Dog Tincture contained only 11.2 mg of CBD instead of the advertised 250 mg. These results are certainly enough to make pet owners sit up, take notice, and demand greater accuracy in advertising, not just for the sake of their budgets but for the health and well-being of their furry friends.

Julie Aitcheson

Julie Aitcheson is a freelance writer, author and educator. In addition to Green Market Report, her work has appeared in Vanguard Magazine, The Fresh Toast, Green Entrepreneur, Daily Press, The Baltimore Sun, LA Weekly and The Chicago Tribune. She received a full fellowship to the 2013 Stowe StoryLabs and won second place in the 2014 San Miguel Writers' Conference nonfiction writing competition. She has published two young adult novels and is currently at work on a piece of adult fiction.


3 comments

  • kat donatello

    May 27, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    Julie, Thank you for posting this. My team works very hard to ensure the efficacy and potency of our products. We believe transparency is key! Again, thank you for highlighting Austin and Kat as a leader in the pet space. Kat Donatello, Founder and CEO Austin and Kat

    Reply

  • CBD Expert

    August 12, 2021 at 5:51 am

    One lingering problem is that many products don’t contain the correct amount of CBD. Testing to ensure the potency of your product is accurate is a fundamental aspect of brand integrity

    Reply

  • Cannabis fan

    October 13, 2021 at 1:12 pm

    So, how do you think can influence on it?

    Reply

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