ISO/IEC 17025

ISO/IEC 17025 sets general requirements for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of laboratories. ISO describes it as the standard that lets laboratories demonstrate they operate competently and generate valid results, so that test reports can be accepted across borders without retesting (ISO). The current edition, published in 2017, added risk-based thinking to the earlier management-system approach.

Accreditation is the proof. A laboratory does not self-declare conformance; an accreditation body audits it against the standard, reviews its validation data and proficiency testing, and issues a scope listing the specific methods covered. In the United States the common bodies are A2LA, ANAB and Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation.

For hemp, the scope matters as much as the certificate. A lab may be accredited for cannabinoid potency but not for pesticides or mycotoxins. A credible COA shows the accreditation mark and a scope that includes the tests reported.

USDA layers its own requirement on top. Hemp grown under federal and state plans must be tested by a laboratory registered with the DEA, though USDA has delayed enforcing that rule until December 31, 2026 (USDA AMS). USDA testing rules also require labs to report measurement of uncertainty with each result (7 CFR 990.1).