How Cantein is made and tested

Where Cantein's hemp is grown, how it becomes powder, what we've had it tested for, and what USDA Organic certification actually requires. Unflavored Cantein is one ingredient, organic hemp protein, so all of this applies to everything in the bag.

Where the hemp is grown

Cantein hemp is grown in Heilongjiang, in northeast China, one of the country's main hemp-growing regions. China has grown hemp for thousands of years, for fiber, oil, and food.

Origin matters more for hemp than for most crops. Hemp takes up heavy metals from the soil well enough that it's been studied as a way to clean up contaminated land. In one German field trial, metals turned up in every part of the plant, including the seeds. So we picked the growing region with soil in mind, and we still had the protein tested for the four heavy metals people worry about most. A good region is a first filter, not a reason to skip the test.

How it becomes powder

  1. The seeds are cold-pressed: squeezed mechanically at low temperature to remove most of the oil.
  2. What's left after pressing, the seed cake, is milled into protein powder.
  3. For unflavored, that's the finished product. For vanilla and chocolate, organic MCT powder, flavor, monk fruit, and salt are added.

We don't use hexane or any other chemical solvent to pull out the oil or concentrate the protein. More of the seed stays in the powder than in a refined isolate, which is why the label shows 2g of fiber and meaningful amounts of magnesium, zinc, and iron alongside the protein. The full numbers are on the ingredients and nutrition page.

What we've tested

In September 2025 we sent a sample of the hemp protein in Cantein to Eurofins, an independent food lab in Madison, Wisconsin. It was tested for:

  • 16 cannabinoids, including THC and CBD. None were detected. The lab's detection limit was 1mg per kg, so a 35g scoop has less than 0.035mg of THC.
  • 4 heavy metals. Lead was 6.28 parts per billion, cadmium 14.0, total arsenic 29.7, and mercury wasn't detected. For a 35g scoop of unflavored, that's 0.22µg of lead and 0.49µg of cadmium, both under California's Prop 65 levels. What those numbers mean, and how they compare: lead and heavy metals in protein powder.

That's one sample, not a test of every lot. We haven't run our own pesticide or microbial tests. For pesticides, the USDA Organic rules below restrict what can be used on the crop.

If you have a drug test or a sport-testing question, read does Cantein contain THC?

Want the full Eurofins reports? Email info@cantein.com and we'll send them.

USDA Organic certification

Under the USDA organic rules, the land can't have had prohibited substances, including most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, applied for 3 years before harvest. The operation must also be inspected on site every year by a USDA-accredited certifier, who can test soil, water, seeds, and finished product.

Organic rules also ban genetic engineering, which they call "excluded methods," so organic hemp can't come from genetically modified seed. Cantein contains no animal ingredients, so it's vegan. We don't hold separate vegan or non-GMO certifications. Those two facts come from the ingredients and the organic standard.

What testing can't tell you

A clean lab result tells you what isn't in the powder. It doesn't tell you how your body will respond to it, and it isn't a health claim. If you have a medical condition or take medication, check with your doctor before adding any supplement.

Sources

  1. Linger P et al. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) growing on heavy metal contaminated soil: fibre quality and phytoremediation potential. Industrial Crops and Products, 2002. doi.org/10.1016/S0926-6690(02)00005-5
  2. USDA National Organic Program, 7 CFR 205.202 (land requirements). ecfr.gov
  3. USDA National Organic Program, 7 CFR 205.105 (excluded methods, including genetic engineering, are prohibited). ecfr.gov
  4. USDA National Organic Program, 7 CFR 205.403 (annual on-site inspections). ecfr.gov
  5. Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing Madison. Certificates of analysis for Cantein hemp protein: heavy metals and cannabinoids, September 2025. Available on request.

THC testing · Ingredients and nutrition · Hemp protein research · All Learn pages