Education

California cannabis packaging regulations are relevant to the completed retail package, and not just an empty pouch or jar. Prior to transit of a cannabis good in distribution, the responsible licensees are required to ensure that the package format, closures, required label panels, universal symbol, warnings and product data are complementary. The review also has to indicate whether the product is manufactured or non-manufactured, edible or non-edible and whether it is being sold as single serving or as several servings.

This guide transforms that review into a series that a brand can follow in the process of creating artwork and packaging. It is not a legal opinion, but is an operational summary. California regulations and agency directives may vary, and as such the end label must be verified against the existing requirements of the Department of Cannabis Control and be reviewed by the responsible California licensee prior to production.

 Find Out What the Product is before looking at the Package.

Begin with an exact product description. The term Cannabis product is too general to make a useful packaging choice. Indicate SKU is flower, a pre-roll, an edible, a concentrate, a topical or another manufactured form. Then verify the servings, the immediate container, a wrapping and the outermost retail wrapping.

This classification has an impact on the packaging route. A pouch of a multi serving edible will have a different reclosure and information requirement than a single pre-roll in a tube. The presence of a jar in a carton also produces two surfaces that cannot be considered a single label. Before opening the artwork file, the package reviewer should be capable of providing answers to four questions:

Which category is the regulated product?

Is it a one-serving or multi-serving package?

What is the direct product in which it is contained?

What is the retail layer that the consumer will see?

Gate One: verify Final-Form Package.

Physical protection is the initial stage of the final-form review in California. The retail package must be tamper evident in such a way that a consumer can tell it had been opened before. It also should adhere to relevant child-resistant standards. A package that holds more than one serving should be able to be resealed after use and the seal must be viable throughout the desired use period.

Do not judge of these features through a rendering. Test filled samples. Oils, dust on the products, crumbs and film that is trapped can alter the way a zipper closes. Headspace and fill weight can place stress on the top seal. A closure can appear right on a blank prototype but be hard to fit, or to engage, once initially opened.

In the case of flexible packaging, the specification must list the pouch construction, initial tamper-evident seal, method of opening and mechanism of reclosure. In case child resistance is conditional on a certified package design, ensure that the size, materials and closure provided are of the tested design. A new compliance assessment can be needed to change one of those elements.

Gate Two: Plotting Label Panels.

The area that is most likely to come into contact with the consumer at retail is the primary panel. It has the product identity, net quantity and California universal symbol. The rest of the necessary information has to be placed on the informational panel such as the relevant government warning and traceability information.

Design a visual graphics by creating a panel map. Create the brand system around zones of regulated content, then set up the system. This sequence does not allow an edit of a late compliance to be applied to an open window, over a gusset or to shrink mandatory copy to less than readable size.

Gate Three: Keep the Universal Symbol safe.

The California universal brand is not a flashy brand symbol. Take the official graphic and maintain its proportions. It should blend in with the rest of the design. Even when the symbol is placed on the dieline, foil effects, busyness, use of transparent windows and low-contrast background can reduce visibility.

Where a container can be pulled off an outer carton or sleeve, also check the marking requirements on the inner component. Do not suppose that a mark on the surface will invariably encompass each removable part. Measure the final printing outcome instead of depending solely on the computer file during proofing since the final appearance can change due to scaling and finishing.

Gate Four: Construct the Informational Panel out of Controlled Data.

The informational panel must be created with approved sources of information and not duplicated with another SKU. Such data may consist of the licensed business identity, contact, UID, batch or lot, packaging date, ingredients, allergen, instructions, storage statements and the applicable government warning, depending upon the product.

Give an owner to each field. The traceability values should be controlled by operations. The ingredient declaration should be under control of the product development. The compliance head is expected to endorse necessary warnings. The brand team must not paraphrase regulatory text to make it sound more approachable.

In case of edibles, accuracy of ingredients and allergens should be based on the actual formulation. The California cannabis regulations might also apply to product-specific nutrition-related information. An artwork-change event is thus an event where the front of the pouch has not changed visually even though the recipe changed.

Gate Five: De-couple Static Artwork and Test-dependent Data.

The cannabinoid content should be reflective of the test results and California labeling procedure. In the case of products that have serving designations, the label can require THC and CBD to be stated per package and per serving. The artwork of the static packaging should not occupy the entire area of the pouch but leave some spaces to be used by the variable or test-dependent information in case they are not known at the time of printing the pouch.

The production batch, certificate of analysis, track-and-trace record and physical label are related through a reliable workflow. Before release the final printed values should be compared against the approved source by someone. An incorrect template containing the correct batch data is also a non-compliant label.

typical California Packaging Failure Scenarios.

A number of issues are repeated due to packaging and artwork being checked individually:

The pouch can be resealed, and the zipper is difficult to close when the product is in the track.

Information needed is across a bottom or side gusset and is not readable on shelf.

The universal symbol is there but does not stand out against a metallic or patterned background.

The outer carton has all the information and the inner container that can be detached does not have necessary identification.

The value of cannabinoids was transferred to a previous batch rather than the approved test record.

There was a change in a formula, but a change in ingredient and allergen statements was not done.

Eliminate such failures by a single check of the filled package, printed evidence and regulated product information.

California Pre-Launch Release Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all the California cannabis packages required to be resealable?

The aspect of resealability applies particularly to the case of packages that have more than one serving. The actual package decision must be checked by the existing regulations on the product and format. A closure can be very useful even when there is no legal requirement of reclosure, to preserve freshness and avoid spills.

Is all the necessary information on a sticker?

California permits supplemental labeling of certain information, but not all fields can always be relegated off of the mandatory panel. Make sure what should stay on the main or informational panel and select a small stock pouch and label.

Does YPAK accept a label of California cannabis?

YPAK is capable of assisting in pouch structure, printable area, choice of closure and production art working. The last regulatory authorization is under the competent and pertinent licensee and their competent compliance or law reviewers.

Craft the Packages before Sealing the Art.

Compliant outcome starts with the product brief, package structure and label map not the decoration. Submit your product format, serving plan, pouch size desired, required closure and desired California sales channel to YPAK. We can assist in converting those package requirements to a viable pouch, and a feasible layout of the artwork.

CTA: Discuss a Custom Cannabis Pouch

Related page: Explore YPAK Cannabis Bags