Criticality—makers of the Korent line of hemp—prides itself on leading the way in transparency in production from farming through to finished product. Starting on the farm, Criticality’s strategic partnership with Pyxus International has given the company the ability to develop in-depth relationships both with U.S. family farmers and growing operations in more than 30 countries. Transparency is also attained through the help of Criticality’s proprietary technology.
“More than a decade ago, we created a robust, propriety agricultural software module called SENTRI(sm), which allows us to track every one of our hemp plants from soil to shelf—and we created a consumer user interface so that every Korent Hemp consumer can track the very product in their hands back to the farmer who grew the hemp where the CBD oil originated,” says Scott Propheter, vice president agronomy, Criticality.
And what goes hand-in-hand with transparency? The company’s commitment to quality. To ensure Criticality could attain the level of quality it was seeking in products, it built its own extraction equipment and state-of-the-art extraction facility. Noting that the company’s extraction chemists are PhDs from the food and pharmaceutical industry, Propheter says, “We believe our standards for quality are the highest in the industry—and we are now NSF GMP registered.”
As a provider focused on quality, the company sees key industry challenges as consumer misinformation about what CBD is and what it can do, as well as confusion about dosage and how to use CBD. The lack of readily available trustworthy information leads to consumer distrust because of bad actors being allowed to continue to operate freely, says Propheter. And all of this relates to the lack of clear federal and state regulations. The absence of clear regulation has gotten in the way of central resources, pricing consistency and insurances for growers.
To tackle these challenges, Criticality would like to see American hemp farmers attain the necessary resources to help them achieve the best yields and highest profitability. From here, Propheter says a greater number of qualified labs are needed to verify that the industry is producing quality crops and products. In addition, he explains, “We believe there needs to be more third-party, longitudinal research studies to show both the intricacies and generalities of what cannabinoids can do for consumer health.”
While the industry focuses on producing quality products, Criticality also wants there to be checks and balances at retail. “We believe retailers should have a minimum set of standards every CBD supplier should be able to meet to ensure consumer safety,” says Propheter.
In looking at what’s next for the industry, the company has its sights set on innovation in the form of “combination products,” which are starting to appear in the marketplace. These are products that use cannabinoids as a true ingredient coupled with other proven supplement ingredients, formulated with specific purposes in mind. “This will drive CBD, as an ingredient, into the broader categories of ingredients that people are already using on a daily basis,” says Propheter. The company also sees promise in formulations using other cannabinoids, such as CBN, CBG and CBC, which are already showing promise in particular categories. “Wide availability of these ingredients will drive us out of a ‘CBD’ industry and into a ‘cannabinoid’ industry,” explains Propheter.
Citing the US Hemp Authority as an example of industry competitors coming together to drive quality standards in a nascent industry, Propheter hopes see wider coverage of extraction science and business by media outlets in the future. “CBD has opened the eyes of many different groups to the idea of value-added agriculture through extraction. CBD is the stepping stone that is beginning the journey to sustainable health ingredients grown by family farmers and available at reasonable prices to the masses.”
Hemp Hero: Criticality
Cutting-edge technology drives industry transparency proves this hemp hero
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More than a decade ago, we created a robust, propriety agricultural software module called SENTRI(sm), which allows us to track every one of our hemp plants from soil to shelf.”
Scott Propheter,
vice president agronomy, Criticality
“We believe retailers should have a minimum set of standards every CBD supplier should be able to meet to ensure consumer safety.”
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Connect with Criticality
Criticality is a proud partner of the Hemp Collective—a New Hope Network and Natural Products Insider initiative dedicated to supporting quality and transparency in the hemp industry.
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Scott Propheter,
vice president agronomy, Criticality
Scott Propheter