As the cannabis industry grows rapidly with every state and nation that legalizes it, so does the very necessary need for technology and machinery that ensure cannabis products' cleanliness and ability to pass mandated third-party testing. One such company that's utilizing radio frequency technology to clean the cannabis buds of possible microbial contamination is Ziel. Along with this interesting usage of a field of technology luckily very commonly used in other industries as well, Ziel is expanding into European countries that have only recently legalized cannabis such as Germany and Switzerland. For a better understanding of this multi-useful technology and the complexities of legal cannabis in European countries trying to abide by prohibitive EU-related laws surrounding cannabis itself, mycannabis.com had the pleasure of speaking with Ziel CEO Arthur de Cordova.
Is Portugal About to Lose its Position as the ‘Gateway’ to Europe’s Largest Cannabis Markets?
by Ben Stevens
Over the last five years, Portugal has built a reputation as the medical cannabis ‘doorway to Europe’, the go-to hub for countries from North and South America, Asia and Oceania to ship their cannabis to and have it distributed to Europe’s most active markets.
Although it is now the largest exporter of medical cannabis in Europe, a fraction of the cannabis grown, processed or imported into Portugal goes towards its highly restrictive domestic market, which, according to Prohibition Partners, is set to be worth just €280,000 this year.
The latest figures show that between January and August 2025, Portugal exported more medical cannabis than the entirety of 2024, driven almost entirely by Germany’s demand and Canada’s supply.
Despite these runaway growth figures, behind the scenes, Portugal’s dominance as the de facto gateway into Europe is beginning to deteriorate.
According to Arthur de Cordova, the CEO and Co-Founder of Ziel, this is due to two key factors: ‘market pricing and self-inflicted wounds’.
The Portugal import-process-export dynamic
Since implementing its medical cannabis framework in 2018, Portugal has built one of the most commercially accessible regulatory environments in Europe.
Under Ministerial Order 83/2021, companies are permitted to cultivate, manufacture, import, and export cannabis products for medical use, provided they demonstrate compliance with both Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
Aside from its relatively low costs, geographical location and temperate climate, these regulations have allowed it to serve as a GMP compliance and re-export hub for cannabis produced elsewhere.
Given the time and capex required to build out EU-GMP processing facilities, many businesses outside Europe operate under GACP rather than GMP standards, meaning their products cannot enter tightly regulated European markets directly.
From Prohibition Partners
Shifting dynamics
This dynamic, which has proven lucrative for the half-dozen EU-GMP processing facilities operating in Portugal while the European market flourished, is now being challenged. One key reason is pricing.
Cordova continued: “German wholesalers will pay roughly €3 per gram. They don’t care whether it comes via Portugal or directly from a GMP facility in Canada, as long as it meets compliance.”
“Now imagine a Colombian GACP farmer. They don’t have many options, so they’re forced to go through these Portuguese ‘washers’.
“GMP washing generally costs €0.60 per gram, and decontamination about €0.40 per gram, so the supplier is paying roughly €1 per gram in processing costs. Colombian growers, whose production costs are maybe €0.50–€0.80 per gram, are effectively losing 20–30% of their gross margin just by going through Portugal.”
While the upfront expense and 12-18 month licensing time have previously put these farmers off building their own EU-GMP processing facilities, according to Cordova, many are now saying ‘screw that, I’ll build my own facility licensed in Colombia and go vertically integrated…’
“The margins justify it, so the payback is quick. Colombia and Thailand are moving this way.”
Self-inflicted wounds
The second major factor was the Portuguese authorities’ Operation Erva Daninha (Weed), a major enforcement action which involved more than 70 search warrants across Portugal and Europe, leading to several arrests and the seizure of over 7 tonnes of cannabis and €400,000 in cash
In May 2025, local police forces launched the operation, targeting criminal organisations allegedly using licensed pharmaceutical and export companies to falsify documentation and move product into the black market, exposing regulatory gaps in Portugal’s rapidly expanding medical cannabis sector.
While regulators and compliant operators welcomed the action as necessary to protect the industry’s credibility, the aftermath has strained the legitimate supply chain. Export permit approvals, previously processed within a month, are now taking up to 12 weeks, slowing trade and frustrating international partners.
Arthur de Cordova, CEO, Ziel
Industry executives, including SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals CEO Michael Sassano, warned that these delays could undermine Portugal’s status as Europe’s primary processing and export hub unless Infarmed streamlines oversight and restores market confidence.
“That blew up in (Portugal’s Cannabis regulator) Infarmed’s face,” Cordova asserted.
At the annual PTMC conference in Lisbon, Dr Vasco Bettencourt, Infarmed’s Director of Licensing, sought to reassure delegates that the incident was an isolated one and not reflective of Portugal’s wider cannabis industry.
While Cordova said he gives Dr Battencourt ‘a lot of credit for showing up an owning it’, the rest of the market now ‘paying the price too’.
“Export permits have gone from 30 days to 70-plus days, which is a huge delay. If you’re a GACP grower in Canada and you send your product to Portugal for GMP processing, it’s now sitting for months before moving to Germany or the UK. The money is getting held up, people are frustrated, and they’re making business decisions to go elsewhere.”
Knock-on impact
The impact of pressure on the gateway to Europe, is now having a ripple effect throughout the region, not just in Portugal.
One key issue, as we reported recently, is the looming oversupply crisis in Germany. A problem that is being exacerbated by this Portuguese bottleneck.
“There’s a sell-by date on these products. A grower in Alberta harvests, then it sits, it ships, it clears customs, it goes through 70-day export queues, by the time it reaches Germany, it’s four to five months old.
“Pharmacies expect at least a year of guaranteed shelf life under GMP, but many wholesalers don’t want product that’s already several months aged. This creates a bottleneck and contributes to oversupply in Germany. There’s a flood of older product, pricing pressure, and growing frustration in the supply chain.”
The torrent of cannabis from the Americas will not be contained by Portugal’s bottleneck though. Like any flood meeting an obstruction, it will carve new routes of least resistance across Europe.
According to Cordova, those who are not waiting for their own GMP licences are turning to the Czech Republic, and could soon shift to North Macedonia.
However, the key shift in the global supply chain, he states, is vertical integration… “Grow your own, process your own, export directly.”
Portuguese contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) bridge that gap by importing raw or semi-processed material, carrying out additional processing or decontamination under GMP-certified conditions, adding a layer of compliance enabling these products to then be re-exported to EU markets.
As Cordova explained to Business of Cannabis: “Portugal has been the gateway into Germany and the UK, and to a lesser degree, Poland.
“It’s been a conduit where GACP growers, whether in Portugal or other countries outside Europe – predominantly Canada, Colombia, or Thailand – have used Portuguese CMOs, or what are colloquially known as GMP ‘washers’.”
This dynamic has been supercharged by the rapid rate of growth in the German market, with exports from Portugal in the first six months of this year topping 27,000kg, around 80% of the total, up from 46% in 2024.
The Raids That Shook
Europe’s Cannabis Empire
by Rolando García
Lisbon, October 2025. The room fell silent when Dr. Vasco Bettencourt, director at INFARMED’s Licensing Unit, took the stage.
He knew what awaited him: a hall packed with growers, exporters, and pharmaceutical operators anxious for answers after months of raids, suspended licenses, and delayed export permits.
“We’re improving the system,” he said, pausing between lines as if choosing words that wouldn’t spark further frustration. “These are growing pains.”
The remark, meant as reassurance, drew a mix of murmurs and raised eyebrows. For the companies filling the seats at the Portugal Medical Cannabis Conference (PTMC), growing pains are a threat to Portugal’s golden era as Europe’s post-harvest gateway for medical cannabis.
For nearly a decade, Portugal stood at the center of Europe’s cannabis map. Flowers from Canada, Colombia, South Africa, and Thailand arrived to be tested, repackaged, decontaminated, and certified under Europe’s Good Manufacturing Practices (EU-GMP). From there, they flowed onward to Germany and the U.K., the region’s largest medical markets.
The model worked so far, but is being threatened by Germany’s recent legalization, and the aftermath of a big judicial operation that shook the industry during the past year, when the police uncovered a web of licensed producers funneling product to illicit markets in Portugal, in Africa, and beyond.
At the conference, Bettencourt said that INFARMED, the Portuguese agency responsible for regulating and controlling all medical products -including cannabis-, is rolling out new software to register and monitor cannabis imports and exports through the UN’s National Drug Control System (NDS). He added that the agency’s next steps will focus on reducing licensing delays by introducing updated qualification procedures and enhanced digital tools for regulatory oversight.
He also shared that despite the turbulence, export volumes from Portugal still surpassed 2024 levels by August 2025, according to figures INFARMED presented at the same conference. Curiously, there’s no way of precisely knowing what portion of that volume came from abroad to be “GMP washed” (we will take a deeper look into this controversial concept) or was farmed in Portugal.
With companies abroad racing to certify their own in-house GMP facilities, the question hangs in the air: can Portugal hold its position as Europe’s middleman, or has the tide already turned?
The Raids That Changed the Rules
On May 20, 2025, Portugal’s Judicial Police launched Operation Erva Daninha, executing 64 search warrants and making multiple arrests on suspicion of international diversion. A second round, Operation Ortiga, followed in July, seizing roughly two metric tons and detaining foreign nationals, reported CannaReporter.
The cases remain under segredo de justiça, Portugal’s judicial secrecy rule. But the effect has already rippled through the industry.
As a consequence, INFARMED came under political fire for having signed off on documents tied to companies now under investigation. Its response was to tighten import/export rules and implement stricter due diligence requirements for all outbound shipments. The result is a system that’s apparently cleaner but slower.
Since June, companies say approvals that once took about 30 days now stretch beyond 70.
Applications must now include expanded certificates of analysis, verified GMP credentials for buyers and intermediaries, and scanned traceability codes for each batch.
Why the Numbers Don’t Work Anymore
Arthur de Cordova, CEO of California-based Ziel, has had a front-row seat to the shift. His company provides microbial control systems used in GMP-certified facilities worldwide, including Portugal, and increasingly, in Colombia and Thailand.
The company sells non-ionizing radiation systems used for microbial control—important because the German market restricts ionizing methods like X-ray or gamma irradiation, which require a lengthy strain registration process.
“I was in Portugal a week ago,” he told High Times. “For a year and a half, they had a very well-established pathway. If you were in Colombia or South Africa and needed access to Germany, you’d send the product to Portugal. Five or six contract manufacturers were doing it, and they had a vibrant business providing a solution for GACP (Good Agricultural and Collection Practices) growers around the world.”
That “solution” is now under pressure from two fronts.
First, the economics. “If a German wholesaler pays about three euros per gram,” de Cordova explained, “the Portuguese intermediary will take a chop of 60 cents out of it —around 20 percent. And if you need decontamination, you can add another 30 or 40 cents on top.”
For large producers shipping metric tons per year, those margins are hard to swallow. “That’s just economics driving the change,” he said.
Second, the political fallout from the scandals. “Now there’s a spotlight on INFARMED. They can’t afford another mistake, so they’re double-checking everything.”
If you’re a cultivator in Canada or Colombia, he noted, that means your product sits idle for weeks while you wait for payment. “That delay costs real money,” notes De Cordova.
Rather than wait in Lisbon’s queue, many international cultivators are starting to build their own EU-GMP-compliant post-harvest facilities.
“It’s not easy and it takes time and money,” de Cordova said. “You better plan for at least a year and a half from when you start the process—hire a consultant, upgrade operations, get audited, fix the findings, maybe get audited again.”
But if a company ships thousands of kilos a year, the savings stack up quickly. “It’s a function of the 60 cents to one euro you’re saving by not going through Portugal times the volume you’re putting through Portugal,” he explained.
De Cordova said the trend isn’t hypothetical: “I can name ten companies doing it right now.”
Colombia, Thailand, and smaller EU states are moving toward full vertical integration, installing microbial-decontamination technology on-site and certifying under EU standards.
But, despite the turbulence, Portugal remains Europe’s heavyweight exporter.
According to INFARMED data presented at PTMC Lisbon 2025, the country had already exported more cannabis by August 2025 than during all of 2024, when Portugal shipped over 20 tonnes of medical flower, making it second only to Canada worldwide.
The ‘GMP Washing’ Debate
For some markets, the goal might not be just to save money, but to preserve the quality of the final product.
Inside the industry, there’s a term that’s been frequently used to describe what Portugal provides to the European cannabis hub: “GMP washing.”
The phrase is used to accuse Portuguese processors of taking substandard, non-GMP flower, running it through remediation, and selling it as pharmaceutical-grade cannabis.
De Cordova rejects the framing. “It’s a bad word and a bad name,” he said. “It’s not fair to the people who are doing good jobs. If you go into a GMP facility in Portugal that’s doing this service, the standards of operation are equivalent to a pharmaceutical manufacturing operation.”
The fact is that technically, these processors perform validated steps—microbial decontamination, trimming, testing, packaging—under documented SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) reviewed by regulators.
The process is compliant but not transformative. That’s why there’s a value added by the practices of certifying the buds, but it won’t ever be able to improve poor agronomy, curing, or terpene integrity.
As de Cordova put it, “There’s always going to be a little change. The quality team has to balance microbial reduction and quality preservation.”
He even notes that trimming often does more physical damage to the flower than decontamination. “If you want to talk about damage to trichomes,” he said, “more is done when you send dried flower through an automatic trimmer.”
Regulation, Politics, and Paralysis
Behind the numbers lies Portugal’s bureaucratic puzzle.
Leading journalists Laura Ramos of CannaReporter pointed to deeper structural issues: six different ministries share oversight of the cannabis industry, from health to agriculture to police, often without coordination. Patient groups and industry associations remain fragmented, leaving the sector without a strong lobbying voice.
That vacuum has political consequences.
In her view, Portugal’s famous decriminalization model, pioneered in 2001, hasn’t translated into a coherent cannabis framework. Citizens can possess small amounts, but growing or selling remains illegal, leading to what she calls “decriminalization without legalization.”
The contradiction fuels confusion. Even as Portugal exports tens of tonnes of medical cannabis each year, domestic access for patients remains limited, and police still make arrests for small home grows.
Can Portugal Hold On?
By every official metric, Portugal is still one of the world’s major cannabis exporters. But the structure of that leadership is shifting.
The raids and resulting bottlenecks have made the country’s GMP pipeline slower and costlier. For global producers, in-house GMP might now look like a rational long-term investment rather than an exotic option. Portugal’s next chapter depends on execution.
For now, the country will remain the business hub for medical cannabis, which has granted a leading role in the European cannabis economy. But gravity is shifting toward the cultivators and countries willing to own GACP and GMP from seed to sale. As de Cordova put it simply in our interview, given current conditions, “The telephone isn’t going to ring in Portugal as much.”
Ziel Helps Cannabis Growers
Protect Their Investment
by AJ Harrington
Cannabis microbial decontamination expert Ziel help cannabis growers protect their investment in their crop.
Commercial cultivators know that compliance is king. If a grower’s products don’t pass the required testing for contamination, they can’t be sold in regulated markets.
Most legal cannabis markets require testing for pesticides, heavy metals, and microbial contamination. Compliance with pesticide and heavy metals requirements is relatively straightforward and can be accomplished with proper operating procedures. However, as cultivators in California and regulated markets worldwide are aware, maintaining control over microbial contamination is a constant challenge. That’s where the decontamination company Ziel comes in.
In an Interview with IgniteIt, Ziel CEO Arthur de Cordova says the company’s name was inspired by its mission.
“Ziel is actually a German word. It means target,” de Cordova explains. “And what we do as a company is we target microbial pathogens.”
Ziel’s radio frequency decontamination solution was developed to ensure that agricultural products, such as nuts, seeds, dates, and prunes, were safe for consumption. As the regulated cannabis market began to take shape, Ziel started helping licensed growers protect their investments with technology that uses specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum to reduce microbial contamination.
“We were the first company to commercialize a microbial decontamination solution for cannabis,” says de Cordova. “We began in 2015, so we’ve been at this for 10 years. And so we bring a wealth of knowledge to the industry.”
Ziel’s Unique Process Protects Product Integrity
Other decontamination processes, including gamma, X-ray, and e-beam, are also used by some cannabis cultivators. These methods, however, rely on ionizing radiation, which can change the molecular structure of cannabis flower, de Cordova explains. Ziel’s process, which utilizes non-ionizing radiation, is different.
“Decontamination with radio frequency has some very unique properties that others can’t match,” says de Cordova.
The process allows the cannabis to be gently heated throughout the volume of the flower, a process that eliminates much of the decontamination without altering the product.
“Our strategy is not to sterilize the product,” he notes. “It is to reduce the microbial pathogens below the threshold level required by compliance. So the product retains its natural properties, which is a good thing. This is what people want.”
Ziel’s microbial decontamination solution can be used on cannabis flower before it is laboratory-tested to help ensure it meets regulatory standards. The system can also be used to remediate cannabis that has failed testing, so it can still be sold.
Organic-Compliant Microbial Decontamination
De Cordova highlighted the fact that while some cannabis operators use gamma, X-ray, and E-beam radiation for decontamination, those solutions do not comply with regulations governing organic agriculture.
“If you’re an organic grower and you want to preserve your organic report card, radio frequency is organic compliant,” he explains, adding, “So we’re we’re unique in that.”
Ziel’s radio frequency cannabis decontamination is so unique, in fact, that the company has been awarded patents in two countries.
“All of our solutions for the cannabis industry are patented, patented in Canada and then in the United States,” de Cordova says, “which speaks to the deep intellectual property we have surrounding the use of radio frequency for the decontamination of cannabis.”
The Science Behind GMP Compliance - ICBC Berlin 2025
The European Union’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standard helps ensure that cannabis products are safe for human consumption. All cannabis products produced domestically or imported to the European Union must be GMP-compliant before being sold in legal markets. Decontamination processes are at the heart of European GMP cannabis compliance. A team of expert panelists discussed various approaches to cannabis decontamination, regulatory requirements, and the unique GMP compliance hurdles facing the emerging legal cannabis industry.
Ziel Wins Innovator of the Year at the Business of Cannabis Awards 2025
We’re thrilled to share that Ziel has been named Innovator of the Year at the Business of Cannabis Awards 2025
This recognition highlights our dedication to advancing cannabis processing technology and setting new standards for safety, quality, and efficiency. Held on June 24, 2025, the Awards brought together over 300 industry professionals and leaders from across Europe to celebrate individuals and organizations shaping the future of cannabis.
The Innovator or Innovation of the Year category recognizes groundbreaking innovation or individuals transforming the cannabis industry through visionary ideas, technology, or forward-thinking solutions. For Ziel, this honor underscores the impact of our radio frequency (RF) technology, a solution that helps producers remediate microbial contamination while preserving product quality, potency, and terpenes. Our systems empower cannabis businesses to meet strict safety standards without compromising what matters most to consumers and cultivators..
The Journey to Innovation
- Eight years ago, Ziel entered the cannabis space, which had no commercially proven decontamination solution available.
- In 2016, Los Sueños Farms, Colorado’s largest outdoor farm, approached Ziel for help complying with new state microbial testing requirements.
- Ziel leveraged its experience from pasteurizing nuts and seeds to adapt RF technology for cannabis, installing the first commercial-scale prototype in April 2016.
- This pioneering move marked the start of a new era in cannabis safety, with original APEX units still operating today.
- In 2024, Ziel launched the new RFX units, delivering a more space-conscious, and single phase powered unit with European for producers worldwide.
- The Ziel RFX can process up to 160 pounds of cannabis flower per eight-hour shift with no downtime, using low-energy, non-ionizing RF wavelengths to kill mold and pathogens while protecting terpenes, trichomes, and cannabinoids.
- This approach is especially important in European markets like Germany, where ionizing radiation is discouraged due to safety concerns and regulatory complexities.
Moreover, Ziel’s technology provides cultivators with real-time data and the ability to use various decontamination settings, promising a 99.9 percent pass rate for microbial compliance. Customers also benefit from hands-on support with a team of technicians and scientists ready to help optimize operations and deepen understanding of microbial behavior across different strains.
Why Ziel’s RF Technology Stands Out
- Preserves Product Quality
Unlike ionizing radiation or harsh chemical methods, RF technology preserves terpenes, trichomes, cannabinoids, and overall organoleptic qualities. - Supports Regulatory Compliance
Radio Frequency helps cultivators meet strict microbial safety standards without altering the molecular profile of the flower, which is especially valuable in regulated European markets. - High Throughput and Efficiency
No downtime, maximizing operational efficiency. - Real-Time Data and Customization
Cultivators can access real-time data and use their customer dashboard to help plan future planting. - Trusted Support and Expertise
Customers work with Ziel’s team of technicians and scientists who help troubleshoot, optimize cycles, and turn remediation data into actionable insights in real time
The winners at this year’s Business of Cannabis Awards were chosen by an independent panel of 21 expert judges representing all corners of the industry, including scientists, business leaders, legal advisors, and policy specialists. Their diverse expertise and high standards ensure each award truly reflects measurable impact and genuine innovation.
Beyond the award itself, this recognition validates our team’s hard work and reinforces our commitment to building a smarter and more sustainable cannabis supply chain. In an industry where every company claims to be best-in-class, this win is proof that Ziel’s solutions truly set us apart.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Business of Cannabis Awards team, our partners, and most importantly, the cultivators and processors who trust Ziel every day.
Congratulations to all the other winners and nominees who continue to move the industry forward. We are excited to keep pushing boundaries and supporting a stronger, safer, and more innovative cannabis future together.
If you would like to learn more about how Ziel’s RF technology can help your business, contact us here.
The hidden crisis plaguing cannabis
– and how to fix it
by Arthur de Cordova
The cannabis industry is facing a serious mold crisis that is devastating to cannabis businesses. Contaminated cannabis products are making their way onto dispensary shelves, aided in part by testing laboratories manipulating results to help products pass state-mandated safety thresholds, a scandal increasingly referred to as “labgate.”
Despite regulatory requirements, some labs overlook dangerous mold counts to protect their business relationships, resulting in unsafe flower making its way into the marketplace. For cultivators, a failed test means financial loss, as flagged products in systems like Metrc must be remediated, extracted, or chucked completely, leading to price erosion and reduced profit margins. At the heart of this crisis are inconsistent state regulations and weak enforcement.
But while headlines focus on lab fraud and product recalls, there’s less conversation about viable solutions. But there are two key fixes: enforce existing state-mandated regulatory requirements for mold or cultivators adopt a post-harvest decontamination protocol as part of their SOPs, ensuring flower is free of harmful pathogens before reaching consumers.
Mold Contamination is a Widespread Issue
Although states require cannabis testing, enforcement is inconsistent, and some labs are complicit in ignoring high mold counts due to the impact it could have on their business.
Massachusetts is currently losing its fight with mold. In February 2025, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission issued a consumer safety alert after mold-contaminated flower was found in retail stores. The issue isn’t limited to lab malpractice; cannabis businesses also contribute to the problem by pressuring labs to pass contaminated products or by employing unsafe cultivation practices. A cannabis worker in Massachusetts recounted being told to “pick the moldy pieces off, then put the rest of it into a container to be sold.”
This mold problem is not unique to Massachusetts. In Colorado, businesses are permitted to self-select the samples they send to third-party labs. These samples are often decontaminated prior to testing, or companies partner with labs known to produce favorable results. Alarmingly, some companies skip testing altogether, choosing instead to pay fines rather than protect consumer safety. This trend signals that financial penalties alone are not enough of a deterrent.
Regulatory Oversight Fails to Keep Pace
While some states like California require labs, not growers, to collect test samples to ensure they are representative of a given batch, oversight still falls short. A whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former state lab regulator alleges she was terminated for pressing California’s Department of Cannabis Control to investigate claims of pesticide-contaminated cannabis.
Across the country, product recalls due to mold, pesticides, and other contaminants are becoming more common, exposing the vulnerabilities in state testing systems.
Signs of Progress in Cannabis Safety
Some states are beginning to address the issue with meaningful reforms. New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission recently adopted new rules to strengthen product testing. These include reducing batch sizes from 100 to 33.07 pounds to ensure more representative sampling, banning lab shopping, and standardizing testing methods for mold, pesticides, and heavy metals.
In California, the newly formed nonprofit Environmental & Consumer Compliance Organization (ECCO) provides an independent certification for clean cannabis. Participating companies agree to random monthly testing and unannounced product sampling from dispensary shelves. So far, 13 companies have joined since ECCO began operations in January 2025, signaling a growing commitment to consumer safety and transparency.
The Case for Technology-Based Decontamination
Regulators must either more strictly enforce microbial regulations or the industry must proactively implement a microbial decontamination step before products reach testing labs. Mold is an unavoidable part of agricultural production; it spreads via air, water, and human contact. Even the most sanitized grow rooms can’t guarantee total mold prevention.
That’s why a decontamination step, akin to milk pasteurization, is critical for product safety. But adoption of a decontamination step is spotty because it’s not mandated by state regulations, making it easy for growers to skip this extra step. Fortunately, technologies like Radio Frequency (RF) treatment provide an effective and non-invasive solution.
Radio Frequency Technology
Unlike chemical or irradiation-based remediation, which can alter the product’s taste, smell, or potency, Radio Frequency technology eliminates mold and bacteria while preserving the flower quality. Companies like Ziel have created machines that have a greater than 99 percent pass rate and treat up to 160 pounds of cannabis per 8-hour shift, without using gas, chemicals, or X-rays. This offers a consistent, scalable solution to mold decontamination.
Industry-Wide Action on ‘Labgate’ Is Long Overdue
While scandals like labgate dominate headlines, effective solutions like microbial decontamination technology and stronger regulatory frameworks remain outside the conversation. It’s time for regulators, labs, and businesses alike to prioritize public health and industry integrity. Whether through stronger oversight or proactive microbial control, the tools to fix this problem already exist; the question is whether the industry will choose to use them.
Ziel: Radio Frequency Technology & Cannabis Compliance In Europe
by Daria B
Regulatory compliance is not just a barrier in the rapidly changing legal cannabis scene, but also a means of gaining access to markets and achieving sustained success. We spoke with Arthur de Cordova, co-founder and CEO of Ziel.
Introducing Ziel
Ziel is a business at the forefront of microbial decontamination, using Radio Frequency (RF) technology to assist producers throughout Europe in meeting and surpassing EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
de Cordova discussed GMP, the science of radio frequency decontamination, and what it takes to stay ahead in a highly regulated, high-demand market like Germany at this year’s International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Berlin. “Ziel was concentrating on pasteurizing food — nuts and seeds — when we bought it. However, we soon recognized the potential of our technology for the cannabis industry,” de Cordova remarked.
Radio Frequency technology: a new method of microbial decontamination for cannabis
Medical cannabis presents particular difficulties, despite the widespread use of pasteurization in the food industry. The European Pharmacopoeiamandates adherence to stringent microbiological requirements, including zero tolerance or decreased levels of yeast, mold, coliforms, and other pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli.
Radio Frequency is a non-ionizing radiation, and free from gas or chemicals. RF is also compliant with organic processes.
The real strength of Ziel’s Radio Frequency technology lies in this delicate balancing act between quality and safety. It preserves the delicate integrity of the flower during the process, including its color, terpenes, and cannabinoids. Unlike conventional thermal processes, where heat is generated by an external source and is transferred gradually to the material moving from surface to center, dielectric processes generate heat evenly inside the entire product mass – also known as “volumetric heating.”
“Consider it this way,” de Cordova said. In traditional ovens, the core is heated by overheating the outer borders. However, with RF, the entire flower is heated uniformly. The game-changer is the minimal product deterioration that results from this.
Ziel’s RF technology may accomplish up to 99.9% microbial pathogen reduction using this process while maintaining the flower’s potency and aesthetic appeal, which is crucial for medical applications
Ziel & EU GMP certification for cannabis
Known as EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), these regulations are the most stringent in the world and examine every aspect of any business that produces pharmaceutical or medical goods and wishes to sell them in the EU. They are different from cGMP in the US and Good Production Practices (GPP) in Canada. A number of variables affect the time it takes to obtain an EU GMP certification for cannabis, such as the amount of time it takes to gather data on the decontamination process with the equipment, the level of support from the local regulatory body, the number of problems the regulatory body discovers during their visit or visits, and the time to cure those problems.
To get ready for the industry’s future, cannabis operators are giving EU GMP Certification top priority right now. In order to start exporting to the EU as soon as federal prohibitions are removed, forward thinking U.S. companies are especially focused on obtaining EU GMP status. In addition to the potential for international exporting, obtaining the EU GMP Certification enables cannabis companies to ensure that their products are of high quality, thereby gaining the trust and loyalty of customers. The EU GMP certification is a massive asset for cannabis operators. It opens doors to the rapidly growing EU market, allowing for the export of both raw and finished products.
Ziel collaborated with German consultants to create a comprehensive GMP turnover package for their customers. This guarantees a smooth integration into operations that have received GMP certification and comprises all documentation for IQ (Installation Qualification), OQ (Operational Qualification), and PQ (Performance Qualification).
Everyone’s interest in the German market
The stakes are really high. Germany produced 35 tons of cannabis flowers in 2023, importing 32 tons. After the German Cannabis Act in April 2024, demand doubled to 75 tons by 2024. 72 tons were imported, with just 2.6 tons produced domestically.
Germany has strong profit margins and is a pharmaceutical-grade market. For example, Canadian producers are able to fetch three times the price in Germany compared to the Canadian domestic market. However, in order to enter, they have to adhere to GMP and change the way they decontaminate their flower.
The Canadian market’s go to strategy for decontaminating cannabis to meet regulatory compliance has been to use one of the existing ionizing radiation technologies: gamma, e-beam, or X-Ray.
For at least the next two to four years, the supply chain in Germany, as well as in many other EU countries, will be dominated by GMP-certified imports as domestic production gradually ramps up. More and more people believe that Ziel’s RF systems are essential to breaking into this profitable sector.
Ziel RF technology: A non-ionizing advantage for EU
European regulators are wary about ionizing technologies because of the possible effects they may have on the quality and safety of products, particularly in Germany, where there is a strong bias by both regulators and consumers. Any cannabis strain that undergoes exposure to ionizing radiation must face a lengthy and costly approval process by Germany’s BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices), a process taking up to 1 year and acn fee of €5,000 per strain, delaying speed to market.
Ziel’s RF technology, on the other hand, is an organic compatible process well received by the consumer, and is exempt from such regulatory restrictions. There is no need for an AMRADV certificate.
“We remove that significant obstacle for our clients,” de Cordova stated.
A future-ready solution for Europe
Ziel is invested in Europe beyond providing a compliance solution. Their RF equipment comes from Italy, ensuring local replacement parts and tariff-free access for European clients. This logistical planning protects customers from customs delays and reliance on U.S.-based goods. “Being EU-manufactured is not just a perk—it’s a strategic advantage,” de Cordova said, referring to the geopolitical tension around trade protection and tariff wars.
Although de Cordova did not reveal any upcoming announcements planned at Ziel, he did make some intriguing allusions.
“We continue to increase our investment in Europe. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to continue making compliance viable for our clients in the face of growing demand and regulatory complexity.”
In summary, the time has come for Ziel’s Radio Frequency (RF) technology. Ziel offers cannabis growers the best of both worlds. Product quality and regulatory compliance matter equally in the European market. Ziel’s non-ionizing, GMP-aligned RF technology is not just an option. It is the recommended solution as Germany and Europe tighten regulations for medical-grade cannabis.
Arthur de Cordova, CEO at Ziel – Interview Series
by Josh Kasoff
How did Ziel come into creation, and what were the cornerstone moments that led to the founding of the company?
It all began in February 2016 when Los Sueños Farms, Colorado's largest outdoor cannabis farm, was notified that the State was implementing microbial testing. Los Sueños Farms found themselves in need of a solution that would reduce their microbial bio-burden and enable them to pass the new regulatory compliance standards or risk the potential of losing their harvest, and in turn their business. Enter a young 24-year-old visionary named Ketch DeGabrielle, Operations Manager for Los Sueños Farms, who had a vision of employing commercialized pasteurization technology for the treatment of cannabis.
At the World Ag Expo in California, DeGabrielle approached Ziel (then operating as RF Biocidics) with a unique challenge: could the company’s Radio Frequency (RF) technology, already proven effective for microbial control in California’s nut and seed industries, be adapted for cannabis?
Ziel’s initial R&D testing revealed that radio frequency technology could provide cultivators with a non-ionizing, non-chemical, scalable solution for reducing microbial levels in cannabis. Recognizing the market potential, the company pivoted from its food-tech origins to develop a custom solution for Los Sueños Farms. On April 20, 2016, a prototype was successfully installed and commissioned.
Ziel thus became the first company to deliver a microbial contamination solution to the cannabis industry at a commercial scale.
Prior to Ziel’s founding, how widespread was the issue of microbial contamination, and what were the most common causes of microbial contamination that you’ve seen?
Microbial contamination, including mold and pathogens, has always been a persistent issue in cannabis cultivation. The conditions that are ideal for growing cannabis – are also the perfect conditions for growing mold. Common causes of mold contamination are environmental factors, including high humidity and poor air circulation, as well as poor post-harvest processes for drying and storage. In states, such as Florida, outdoor cannabis cultivation is challenging due to the humid climate. As a result, all cannabis in Florida is grown indoors to minimize the risk of mold generation.
With the legalization of cannabis—first for medical use and now for adult recreational use—microbial contamination cannot be ignored, particularly in the context of U.S. state microbial testing requirements. Testing for Aspergillus, a common mold found in cannabis, has become a standard requirement, along with screenings for harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. Additional microbial testing requirements vary by state and may include, Total Yeast and Mold Count (TYMC), Total Aerobic Microbial Count (TAMC), Bile Tolerant Gram Negative (BTGN), and Total Coliforms.
If left unchecked, how badly would microbial contamination affect the flower's quality and the consumer's health?
A mold outbreak in a cannabis operation can be devastating if gone unnoticed or left untreated. Not only is the entire crop at risk, but if moldy weed makes it out of the grow and onto the dispensary shelf, the risk of a product recall will likely devastate the brand and cultivator’s reputation.
Each State has its own regulatory compliance standard, requiring cultivators to submit batch samples to independent testing labs, which are then managed by the State through a seed to sale tracking system, such as METRC. Cannabis that fails compliance testing often requires remediation or must be processed into an extract—both costly options that erode profit margins. Specifically, remediated flower is flagged in METRC and labeled with an “R” in the supply chain, which diminishes wholesale market appeal and can lead to price erosion.
This reactive approach to compliance not only undermines profitability but also diverges from FDA and USDA best practices in other agricultural industries, which emphasize proactive safety measures – known as a kill step – to protect consumer health.
Selling moldy weed puts consumers’ health at risk as it can cause symptoms like coughing, nausea and vomiting, congestion, wheezing and shortness of breath. Some factors can increase the risks of smoking moldy weed, including if the customer is allergic to mold or has a weakened immune system. In these cases, inflammation of the lungs and sinuses can also occur. In extreme cases, cannabis patients who were immunocompromised and inhaled moldy weed have been hospitalized and/or have died.
When Ziel was founded, how would you describe the overall state of cannabis microbial testing technology and devices?
When Ziel was founded, existing cannabis decontamination technologies relied heavily on ionizing radiation—gamma, e-beam and X-ray. This was the go-to solution in Canada when cannabis was Federally approved and experienced a burst of cannabis operators. While effective in reducing microbial contamination, ionizing radiation also alters the molecular structure of cannabis, penetrating the bud from the outside with short, high-energy wavelengths, and can lead to the generation of free radicals, which have been associated with cancer.
Non-ionizing radiation such as Radio Frequency, on the other hand, does not alter the plant’s molecular or chemical structure and is generally considered a safer decontamination process for cannabis flower by regulators and consumers alike. Radio Frequency uses longer, lower energy wavelengths to penetrate the cannabis flower. These wavelengths create an oscillating electromagnetic field around and within the flower, causing its moisture molecules to vibrate in unison. This rapid oscillation creates just enough thermal heat to kill mold and pathogens with negligible impact on terpenes, trichomes, or appearance.
Since its founding, how has Ziel advanced that technology?
Ziel has been operating in the cannabis decontamination category for 8 years. When we started, there was no commercially proven solution in the United States. We had a steep learning curve in those early years. We had a twofold challenge – solving the microbial reduction, while simultaneously preserving the integrity and product quality of a very complex plant that is only just beginning to be understood.
We knew Radio Frequency was effective in the pasteurization of food products. Our first generation APEX units are still in operation today. The Ziel RFX, released in 2024, incorporates all the learning lessons (and failures) over the years. It is also well suited to the emerging medical market in Europe which requires GMP validation. These facilities are more compact, and our RFX is 50% smaller than its older brother APEX.
In addition to launching the RFX, Ziel has a portfolio of Intellectual Property, which confirms our unique advancements in the use of radio frequency in the treatment of cannabis for microbial reduction. Both the USPTO and Canadian Authorities have issued Process Patents to Ziel, as well as a host of Design Patents in North America.
I noticed on the website that four countries use Ziel’s Radio Frequency mold remediation technology. What countries are those, and what would you say are the most noticeable differences between those countries’ respective cannabis markets?
Ziel has customers throughout the United States, Canada, Portugal, and North Macedonia, with plans to expand into Germany, Greece and Switzerland in Q1 2025. There are significant differences between the European and North American markets, as well as within each continent.
- In North America, the US market is a patchwork quilt, with each state operating in silo due to the lack of a Federally approved legal framework. Canada is Federally approved, with small nuances between Provinces, but generally harmonious.
- In the EU, all cannabis products must be grown in GACP facilities and processed in EU GMP-certified facilities. The US has no such requirements for growers or processors.
- Within the EU, Germany has a distinct bias against the use of ionizing radiation which requires the registration of each strain – which can take between 6 and 12 months and €4,000 per strain inhibiting new strains from reaching the market in a timely fashion.
- In Germany, the medical market relies heavily on imports due to limited domestic cultivation. While Social Clubs for recreational use have been approved, a commercial adult-use market effectively does not exist.
- The UK is advancing right behind Germany in terms of market growth but now lies outside of EU laws.
- Switzerland due to its central location and streamlined regulations provides an advantage for exports to Germany. Switzerland’s direct-to-dispensary sales create barriers to entry for larger exporting nations. Like the UK, it too lies outside the jurisdiction of EU laws.
- In Greece regulations prohibit imports, empowering local cultivators to control pricing and distribution.
Is the issue of microbial contamination more prominent in one country over another, or would you say the issue is evenly widespread? How does each country individually ensure that microbial contamination is being prevented as effectively as possible?
Addressing microbial contamination in cannabis is a universal challenge that knows no borders. No country or individual operator is immune. Mold and pathogens can spread rapidly through air, water, and human handling, necessitating a reliable microbial control step. The EU’s decision to pursue a strict medical market, with its requirement for GACP growing combined with EU GMP processing is more stringent than the US model, and more robust for consumer safety.
Of the countries that Ziel does business in, which of them have legalized cannabis recreationally, and how would you describe the state of those markets overall? Does one country have economic advantages over another or something of the sort?
Canada has a pure recreational or ‘adult use’ market. The USA has pockets of recreational cannabis, depending on the specific State’s approach – recreational, medical, both, or none of the above. Germany has “legalized” recreational cannabis, but it has not established a commercial adult-use market like in Canada. Instead, Germany has approved non-profit cultivation social clubs, which allow members to access cannabis for personal use as well as the ability to grow a limited quantity of plants at home.
Germany is an interesting study. They lurched out ahead of the rest of Europe with the April 1, 2024 Cannabis Reform Law. While the absence of a full-blown adult-use market may limit overall market growth, demand in Germany is accelerating, although from a very low base. In 2023, Germany imported 35 tons. To put that in perspective, the state of Michigan sold 50 tons in the month of October 2024 alone, while Germany has a population 8X that of Michigan. So the growth potential is enormous, but German growth will be more measured without a real recreational market (like Michigan’s). Nonetheless, since the April 1, 2024 Reform Law, the market has probably been running close to a 100-ton annual rate. That’s a pretty good clip, outpacing the initial forecasts.
For the next 2-3 years, Germany will remain an import driven market while domestic producers build out capacity (or don’t), with Canada and Portugal being the biggest beneficiaries of German and UK demand, followed closely by Macedonia and Colombia.
In addition, Radio Frequency technology has become one of the more preferred methods of microbial control in Germany because it eliminates the need for cultivators to obtain an AMRadV license—which is a requirement for any strain treated with an ionizing radiation technology – such as X-Ray or Gamma Radiation. This licensing process can take up to 12 months and costs approximately €4,000 per strain, making Radio Frequency a more efficient and cost-effective solution for cultivators seeking to enter the German market – which is 95% supplied from abroad.
In America, if cannabis were to be rescheduled from a Schedule I to a Schedule III or another far-reaching federal reform were to be implemented, how would that change both the operations of Ziel as well as microbial testing requirements and procedures?
I think one of the underappreciated aspects of rescheduling is the future role of the FDA, which until now has effectively been off the playing field in the development of a safe and regulated market in the USA. They will soon be calling the shots and we will see more regulatory uniformity. That’s good for business because it brings a level of predictability and regulatory standardization. And it’s also good for consumer safety.
Another unintended benefit overlooked with rescheduling may be organic certification. Currently, cannabis products lack the ability to be USDA Organic certified due to the plant’s federal status as a controlled substance. With the potential for cannabis to be reclassified as a Schedule III substance, FDA oversight could pave the way for the application of USDA and National Organic Program (NOP) standards to the cannabis industry the same way they do to the agricultural food industry. If this occurs, cannabis products adhering to these standards may finally earn organic certification, aligning with the guidelines currently applied to food and supplements.
And here’s where we leverage our roots as a food safety company. Ziel’s Radio Frequency technology is already compliant with organic standards and widely recognized as safe for consumer use by both the FDA and USDA for food products. In contrast, products treated with ionizing radiation would remain ineligible for organic certification under current FDA guidelines.
Blunt Business Cannabis Radio - Podcast
Ziel is a leading provider of microbial control solutions for the cannabis industry, specializing in high-throughput, non-ionizing radio frequency (RF) technology. Driven by a commitment to innovation and compliance, Ziel offers cutting-edge solutions that ensure product safety, maximize efficiency, and meet stringent regulatory requirements, particularly in the rapidly growing European market.
Unlike competitors who rely on ionizing radiation or face frequent machine breakdowns, Ziel's RF technology guarantees industry-leading throughput with no downtime. This allows processors to treat up to 500 pounds of cannabis in a single 24-hour shift, ensuring a continuous flow of safe, high-quality product. Ziel's technology, rooted in decades of proven science and refined through seven generations of innovation, preserves the integrity of cannabinoids and terpenes, maintaining the natural characteristics of the plant. This commitment to quality has earned Ziel a strong reputation and a loyal customer base across Europe and beyond.
Ziel's latest innovation, the Rfx, is a compact and efficient RF solution designed by Richard Bruner, the renowned founder of Apple's Industrial Design group. The Rfx has been enthusiastically received in Europe, where GMP certification is essential for market entry. By offering significant return on investment and ensuring compliance with stringent regulations, the Rfx empowers cannabis operators to thrive in a competitive landscape.
Ziel recognizes the evolving regulatory landscape and the increasing importance of compliance. Their partnership with Porta Canna, achieving the first EU GMP certification for RF microbial control in cannabis, underscores their dedication to meeting the highest industry standards. Ziel's proactive approach to compliance, including the development of comprehensive turnover packages for prospective customers, positions them as a trusted partner for businesses navigating the complexities of the European market.
Biz Con - Inside the Conference
by Kelly Dixon
"Our first stop was booth number 5027, Ziel. Ziel specializes in cannabis mold and microbial remediation, and they manufacture one of the most impressive units in the entire conference. Ziel’s RFX unit works miracles and uses proprietary technology to sanitize material without jeopardizing the quality, flavor, and bag appeal of the flower. Arthur de Cordova, the CEO and co-founder of Ziel explained to me how his technology using radio frequency remediates bacteria and mold in cannabis, and unlike ionizing forms of radiation such as X-ray, gamma, and e-beam, radio frequency is a non-ionizing, thermal process compliant with organic processes. Arthur is a wealth of knowledge, and we were honored that he gave us a few minutes of his time during such a busy conference."