The Fight for Kratom
Austin Organic Village is proud to announce that we are GMP-compliant and a GMP-certified vendor. We are now one of 26 American Kratom Association Qualified Vendors. Proper certification protects vendors and consumers during the continued fight to keep kratom legal and allows us to continue to grow and serve more consumers.
What Do GMP and cGMP Mean?
GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practice and represents a broad set of standards by the FDA to ensure the quality and safety of products sold for consumption. cGMP stands for Current Good Manufacturing Practice. They are similar in nature, but cGMP includes the most current set of standards in the ever-evolving cycle of regulations placed on the sale of products in the United States. GMP regulations are extensive, including production, packaging, equipment, employee hygiene, and training of all employees.
Becoming & Staying Certified
In order to become GMP certified, a company must be assessed by a third-party assessment entity. This means that they have to be tested, observed, and accomplish a specific set of requirements. Some companies, like Austin Organic Village, choose to use a third-party GMP packaging facility and send their products to be packaged there while every employee learns how to be GMP compliant in all other written aspects of a business. Employees are tested on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regularly. Employees are not allowed to make medical claims or give medical advice. This doesn’t stop consumers from sharing tips from person to person. However, employees have to be very careful with the claims and statements they make to customers.
In order to stay an American Kratom Association Vendor and maintain GMP certification, the company must review practices and make changes regularly as the standards change. They must also be prepared for a yearly external audit, yearly testing, and inspections on demand.
Why Is This Important?
As the kratom community fights to keep kratom legal and lobbies to pass the KCPA (Kratom Consumer Protection Act) in more states, we need vendors who are in compliance with the FDA’s GMP standards. This allows the industry to show that kratom is a legitimate product whose vendors are willing to follow government guidelines.
Thorough testing of products for biological contaminants like bacteria, mold, and heavy metals helps to protect consumers. Using clean rooms, and sterile equipment for packaging are just a few things that help make sure products remain safe and uncontaminated. Both vendors and consumers enjoy greater protection through GMP regulations. The sale and safety of kratom is more easily tracked in the event of an issue. Consumers are less likely to receive tainted products and recalls become few and far between.
The AKA (American Kratom Association) is working hard to lobby banned states and bring other states in line with the KCPA. In order to do that, everybody in the community needs to do their part starting with vendors.
Below is a map from the AKA showing the progress made and where the fight continues.
Not shown on the map are the lobbyists working in banned states to overturn kratom bans and make the KCPA a reality in those places as well.
How Can You Help?
1- Only use GMP-certified vendors on the AKA qualified vendor list, like Austin Organic Village.
2- Hold vendors accountable! If vendors are making medical claims, even as benign as claims that products give energy, please call them on it.
3- Donate to the American Kratom Association to help continue pushing back! Even donating as little as $5 helps.
4- Keep an eye out for any legislation being pushed through the government at the local level. Some states have been sneaky about trying to pass kratom legislation. Make sure to always know what’s on your local government agenda. If you find something troubling that has to do with kratom, please contact the AKA.
5- Be a responsible consumer. Make sure that you are making responsible decisions with kratom consumption. Negative stories in the media will only hurt the cause.
6- Make sure to report any severe issues you have with the product received to the vendor you purchased it from. The vendor, if GMP compliant, should have a process in place for handling these issues properly to ensure a safe consumer experience.
Help Us Keep Kratom Legal
As kratom consumers, protecting this plant is the number one priority. Keeping kratom legal is essential for millions of people in this country. Being a responsible vendor means becoming GMP certified. Being a responsible consumer means stepping up and pointing out when issues arise that could hurt the legality of kratom. If everybody does their part, the community as a whole will win in the end.
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**These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.**
