bigtrea - Hygiene Standards in the Kratom Industry

Hygiene Standards

Even if the whole processing is done correctly, a particularly important topic can spoil the whole result and that’s a lack of hygiene. For example, if the leaves are washed in a contaminated river or dried on the streets, then no safe product can come out of it. Also, if the storage is not done in a manner to protect the product it can develop fungi or yeasts. We make sure that our suppliers only produce in a hygienic way following a sanitation protocol of course with suitable protective gear.

They may not be following good sanitation protocol to keep their Kratom free of contamination.

Many farmers and small-scale operations have little knowledge or interest in Kratom itself and how it is used. Most have only heard about Kratom in the past 1-3 years and view it as a good way to make money. Therefore they may not be following the best protocol for high alkaloid content. Similarly, they may not be following good sanitation protocol to keep their Kratom free of contamination.

It is important to have someone in charge of the operation who cares about Kratom as a product not just as a possibility to make money.

Many people can see their neighbors, friends, or people in their city becoming rich from Kratom (or at least earning more money than from an average job) and they want a piece of the wealth. Desiring fast cash, they are not necessarily concerned with providing a quality product because they may not understand how the product is really used or how to make sure it is good quality. On the other side of the spectrum, the people who buy Kratom powder in bulk and sell it online may themselves use Kratom and have a good understanding of what the foreign buyer wants. But they themselves are not involved in the actual process of producing the Kratom. They likely know what international buyers want to hear and consequently present products accordingly. They may just say these things to sell their product, lacking any real overview of production processes. Overall, it is important to have someone in charge of the operation who cares about Kratom as a product not just as a possibility to make money. Ideally, they use the product themselves, are aware of international cleanliness standards and are able to have a deep insight into ALL stages of production. If Kratom is grown organically and dried with the utmost care, this is rendered useless if the crumbs are then milled in dirty, improper machines and the powder is stored incorrectly! Similarly, top of the line food-grad milling equipment and storage facilities are pointless if the Kratom they bought is covered with pesticides and dried in an unhygienic way!

Here the only possibility is to inspect the production sites and make sure the process is conducted in a proper way.

This starts with not wearing suitable protective clothes such as gloves or headgear and ends in washing the leaves with water from contaminated rivers. This washing can lead to several health impairments. Having no adequate equipment or not storing the products in a right way is a serious issue. Here the only possibility is to inspect the production sites and make sure the process is conducted in a proper way. This is what we did with the suppliers we are still working with.

Hygiene Standards

From leaf to product

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