> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.extractoseum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How we verify a certificate > What EXTRACTOS EUM® checks before publishing a COA, what backs each badge, what a withdrawn certificate means, and why every number comes with an explanation. > A seal is only worth something if you can find out **what it checked**. This page explains > exactly what we verify before publishing a certificate, where each badge comes from, and what > happens when a certificate stops being valid. > > **Type:** Explanation. **Audience:** consumers, laboratories, retailers and authorities. *** ## Why this page exists Anyone can put a gold seal on a PDF. The useful question isn't *"does it have a seal?"* but *"what had to be true for that seal to appear?"*. Here's the answer, with no fine print. *** ## 1. What we check before publishing No certificate is published without passing an automated review. If something doesn't add up, **the certificate doesn't go out** — not with a warning, it doesn't go out. This is what gets checked: | Check | What it prevents | | - | - | | That it reports at least one compound | A certificate declaring compliance without showing a single data point | | That retention times are physically possible | A peak "detected" after the instrument finished its run | | That the batch number is an actual batch | A fragment of the instrument report ending up printed as the batch | | That the basis of the percentages is known | Mixing weight/weight with weight/volume — they give different numbers | | That our calculation matches the lab's | Propagating a discrepancy without anyone seeing it | | That the compliance claim matches the figure | Saying "compliant" about a number that says otherwise | | That there's a real analysis date and a technical officer | A certificate with no date and nobody answering for it | These same checks run again **every day over already-published certificates**. A certificate valid the day it was issued can stop being valid later: laboratories change, accreditations expire. If one degrades, we find out. *** ## 2. What backs each badge Badges are **not ticked by hand**. Each one has to be earned, and there are three different ways to earn one: ### Accreditation badges — ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, cGMP… They come from the **laboratory registry**: each lab has its credentials with the issuing body, number, scope and validity. The badge appears **only if the credential is current and has not expired**. If it's pending, expired or unverified, it **is not shown** — even if someone ticked it. And it isn't inherited: if a laboratory changes its legal entity, the previous entity's accreditation **does not transfer** to the new one. That's a rule of the accreditation system itself, and we honour it even when it costs us a badge. ### The EUM VERIFIED badge It's granted by the system, not by a person. It appears when the certificate **passed every check in section 1**. That's exactly what it means: our automated integrity checks were satisfied. It does not mean the laboratory is accredited — that's what the other badges say, and that's why they're separate. ### Data-derived badges Some are computed from the analysis itself. For example, **"100% THC FREE"** only appears if measured total THC is zero. If the analysis reports THC, the badge is not shown: printing a claim next to the table that contradicts it would make no sense. > Every badge on a certificate carries its **footnote** explaining what backs it. If you can't > see what holds a seal up, that seal shouldn't convince you. *** ## 3. Withdrawn certificates Sometimes a certificate has to come down: it was issued with an error, the analysis was redone, or it should never have been published. When that happens **we don't delete the record**. The QR code is already printed on a product someone is holding, and a link that simply stops existing is indistinguishable from a broken link or a system outage. Instead, the link tells you: > **Certificate withdrawn.** This certificate was withdrawn on {date} and no longer covers the > product. **Reason:** {reason}. The record, the date and the reason remain. Like a notary: the entry isn't crossed out, the cancellation is recorded. Every withdrawal requires a written reason — a certificate cannot be withdrawn without stating why. *** ## 4. Why every number comes with an explanation Whoever scans a QR is neither a chemist nor a lawyer. It could be a customer in a store, an inspector, or the producer, and they arrive with three questions: *is this legal?*, *what's actually in it?*, *why should I believe this piece of paper?* That's why every certificate includes its **notes**, both on screen and in the PDF: * **The THC limit** — where the 1% comes from (Mexican General Health Law, article 245) and what this specific batch measured. * **How total THC is calculated** — it isn't the direct sum of the table: it's `(0.877 × THCA) + Δ9-THC`, because THCA converts into THC when heated. * **What the percentages mean** — relative to the weight of the product, with an example in grams. * **Who states what** — the product name, presentation and batch number are stated by whoever submitted the sample; the laboratory measures the content and **does not verify the label**. * **What it covers and what it doesn't** — the certificate reports cannabinoids; it does not assess heavy metals, pesticides, solvents or microbiology unless stated. * **Where the results come from** — laboratory, real analysis date and method. The notes in the PDF and the ones on screen come from **the same source**, so they cannot say different things. A signed document that contradicts itself is worth nothing. *** ## 5. What a Smart COA does NOT claim Being explicit here is part of being trustworthy: * **It does not endorse the label.** The laboratory measures what's in the sample. If the package says 750 mg and the analysis reports something else, the certificate shows what was measured — it does not back what was printed. * **It does not cover what wasn't tested.** A cannabinoid certificate says nothing about heavy metals or pesticides. * **It does not apply to other batches.** Results correspond solely to the sample the laboratory received. * **The EUM VERIFIED badge is not an accreditation.** It's our integrity verification; the laboratory's accreditation is a different thing and is shown separately. *** ## Related * [Smart COA — the certificate that verifies itself](smart-coa.md) * [How to verify your product](consumidores/verificar-producto.md) * [Regulatory traceability](cumplimiento/trazabilidad-regulatoria.md)