Compliance and disclosures

Laboratory operation

• Quality: documented procedures modelled on ISO/IEC 17025:2017. GLP-style data integrity (21 CFR Part 58 principles), with electronic records and an audit trail. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is in progress through Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation (PJLA, www.pjlabs.com), with an expected date of mid-January 2027, and DEA registration is in progress (last 4 of Reg. #: 630H). Until each is granted, Gold Standard Analytics does not hold ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation or DEA registration and does not claim them. Gold Standard Analytics does not hold TCEQ NELAP accreditation.
• Controlled substances: the laboratory holds no DEA registration under 21 CFR Part 1301 and cannot receive Schedule I–V material. Such material is destroyed on receipt and documented. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 481 applies.
• Hazardous waste: retained samples, solvents and reagents are disposed of through Clean Harbors under RCRA (40 CFR Parts 260–273) and TCEQ rules (30 TAC Chapter 335). Manifests are retained three years.
• Chemical safety: OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) chemical hygiene plan and Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200) are in force; SDS are available for every reagent on site.
• Biosafety: sterility and bioburden work is performed in a Class II A2 biological safety cabinet certified to NSF/ANSI 49 annually.
• Shipping: samples move under 49 CFR Parts 171–180 and IATA rules as applicable; clients are responsible for correct classification of what they ship and we refuse undeclared hazardous material.

Results, certificates and claims

• A certificate of analysis reports the sample received. It is not an FDA approval, a GMP release, a product certification, or an endorsement, and we say so on the certificate and in the Terms.
• Products tested here are not evaluated by the FDA on the basis of our report. Statements about supplements are governed by DSHEA (21 U.S.C. 343(r)(6)); cosmetics by MoCRA (FD&C Act as amended 2022); research peptides are not for human consumption unless lawfully approved. Vendors, not the laboratory, are responsible for their product claims.
• Failing results are published on the same terms as passing results. We do not re-run a failing sample to obtain a better number, and we do not accept payment to withhold a result.
• Environmental and drinking-water reports cite the EPA or TCEQ method used. Where a regulatory program requires a NELAP-accredited laboratory (Texas Water Code Chapter 5, 30 TAC Chapter 25), clients are told before ordering that our report may not satisfy that program.
• Kratom results are reported against American Kratom Association GMP program limits where the client requests; Texas HB 861 (2023) labelling requirements are the vendor’s responsibility.
• Hemp and cannabinoid results are reported against the 2018 Farm Bill 0.3% delta-9 THC threshold and Texas DSHS consumable hemp program rules (25 TAC Chapter 300); clients needing a DSHS-registered laboratory are told before ordering.

Privacy and data

• Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (TDPSA, effective July 1, 2024): notice, access, correction, deletion and portability rights, and a clear "Do not sell or share my personal information" path, are provided in the Privacy policy. We do not sell personal data.
• California CCPA/CPRA, Virginia CDPA, Colorado CPA, Connecticut CTDPA, Utah UCPA and the other state comprehensive privacy laws: the same rights are extended to every user regardless of residence.
• GDPR and UK GDPR: honored for EU and UK clients; transfers rely on the processors’ standard contractual clauses.
• COPPA: the service is for adults and businesses; no data is knowingly collected from children under 13, and accounts require users to be 18 or older.
• Data breaches: notification within 60 days as required by Texas Business and Commerce Code 521.053, and within any shorter period a client’s state requires.

Marketing and messaging

• TCPA (47 U.S.C. 227) and the FCC’s 2024 one-to-one consent rule: SMS is transactional only, sent after express consent captured at phone verification, with STOP and HELP honored automatically. No marketing texts are sent. Consent records are retained five years.
• CAN-SPAM: every marketing email, if we send one, carries a physical address and a working unsubscribe honored within 10 days. Transactional email (receipts, labels, certificates) is exempt but still carries contact details.
• FTC Act Section 5 and the Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255): vendor directory placement is earned, alphabetical and unpaid, and the page says so. Trustpilot and other review references link to the third-party source. Comparison pages state the date each competitor fact was checked.
• Made-in / origin claims are not made. Instrument brand names are used descriptively, not as endorsements by the manufacturer.

Payments, tax and commerce

• Texas sales and use tax: analytical testing services are not taxable; tangible equipment sold to Texas addresses is taxed at the local rate unless a resale or exemption certificate (Form 01-339) is on file. Marketplace sales are collected and remitted by the laboratory as a marketplace provider under Texas Tax Code 151.0242.
• Card payments: processed by Stripe under PCI DSS; card data never touches our systems. Klarna is offered under their own consumer-credit disclosures (Truth in Lending Act, Regulation Z) presented by those providers.
• Cryptocurrency: processed by Paygate. Prices are quoted in USD and converted at a locked rate; refunds are made at the current rate minus network fees. Texas does not require a money-transmitter licence for a merchant accepting cryptocurrency for its own goods and services.
• Invoicing and payouts: Mercury (Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC). Marketplace sellers complete KYB (beneficial ownership under 31 CFR 1010.230) through DIDIT before payouts; Form 1099-K is issued where thresholds are met.
• Group pools are not securities, investments or crowdfunding: contributors purchase a share of a testing service, receive the same deliverable, and gain no interest in the sample or any return.
• Electronic signatures at checkout comply with E-SIGN (15 U.S.C. 7001) and the Texas Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (Business and Commerce Code Chapter 322).

Accessibility and equal access

ADA Title III, Section 508 and Texas Government Code Chapter 2054 are addressed in the Accessibility statement. Services are provided without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or any other protected characteristic. Laboratory tours are by appointment for qualifying accounts and accommodations are provided on request.

Government contracting

Gold Standard Analytics is registered in SAM.gov. When serving federal or state buyers we comply with FAR clauses incorporated in the order, the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment, and Texas Government Code Chapter 2270 and 2274 certifications where required.

Compliance contact

Compliance questions, records requests, and subpoenas: team@goldstandardanalytics.com or 5151 Mitchelldale St A10, Houston, TX 77092. We publish an annual transparency count of law-enforcement requests. Effective September 7, 2026. This page is a summary of our obligations and practices; it is not legal advice to clients about their own obligations.