Lab Survey Results: Cannabis & Hemp Labs Are Diversifying Industries

See where cannabis & hemp labs are diversifying—food, supplements, cosmetics, microbials. Scale multi-industry testing with Confident LIMS—learn how.

Written by

Camille Claudet

Many cannabis and hemp labs are no longer single-industry operations. According to our 2025 Lab Survey, a growing number of cannabis and hemp testing labs are actively diversifying into new industries—and many already rely on Confident LIMS to support that expansion.

👉 Learn how Confident LIMS supports multi-industry labs

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Why Labs Are Diversifying Beyond Cannabis

Market volatility, aggressive competition, pricing pressure, compliance burdens, and frequent regulatory changes push labs to look for more stable and scalable revenue streams. The data from our 2025 survey confirms it:

he survey data shows that diversification is no longer a theoretical idea—it is already happening. Around 39% of cannabis and hemp labs in our sample already test non-cannabis or non-hemp samples today, and another 26% expect to start within the next year. Only about 36% say they are not currently planning to diversify. Taken together, this means that the majority of labs are actively looking beyond cannabis, building new revenue streams and reducing their exposure to price compression and regulatory volatility. — Pie chart showing diversification plans for cannabis and hemp labs. About 39% of respondents say they already test non-cannabis or non-hemp samples. Another 26% expect to begin non-cannabis/hemp testing within the next year. Around 36% say they are not currently planning to diversify. This shows that a majority of labs are already diversifying or planning to do so soon.

This signals a clear trend: labs are future-proofing their operations by expanding into adjacent, regulated industries.

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Which New Industries Labs Are Entering‍

Among labs already testing non-cannabis samples, the most common industries include:

Among labs that already test non-cannabis and non-hemp samples, most are moving into adjacent regulated markets rather than completely new disciplines. Roughly three out of four diversifying labs now work in Food and Beverage, and about two thirds support Nutraceuticals and Supplements. A significant share also test Personal Care and Cosmetics (40%) and Agriculture samples (33%), while 20% provide Environmental testing and smaller segments serve Industrial Chemicals and Equipment or Hardware. These are all industries where chemical and microbiological assays, matrix complexity and traceability look very similar to cannabis—making Confident LIMS a natural fit across all of them. — Pie chart summarizing which non-cannabis industries diversifying labs test today. About 73% of these labs test Food and Beverage samples and 67% test Nutraceuticals and Supplements. Around 40% work with Personal Care and Cosmetics, 33% with Agriculture, 20% with Environmental testing, 13% with Industrial Chemicals and 7% with Equipment or Hardware. Because labs often serve several industries at once, the percentages sum to more than 100%.

These industries share something important with cannabis: lighter compliance requirements, diverse sample matrices, and primarily chemical or microbiological assays.

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New Matrices Mean New Assays

Diversification doesn’t stop at industries—it extends to analytical scope. Labs reported performing a wide range of assays for non-cannabis/hemp matrices, including:

Once labs move into new industries, they do not just add a handful of new tests—they expand their entire analytical menu. Every diversifying lab in our survey reports running Microbial assays on non-cannabis/hemp matrices, and nearly eight in ten also measure Moisture or Water Activity. Around 71% perform Pesticide, Solvent and Metal testing, and 64% routinely measure pH. Beyond these core methods, 36% run Nutrient assays, 29% handle Alkaloids, Proteins and Vitamins, and about 21% report DNA, Lipid or Mineral work. A smaller group, under 15%, focuses on Flavonoids, Hydrocarbons or other highly specialized assays. Together, this pattern shows that labs are building full multi-matrix testing programs—not just adding one or two side projects. — Pie chart showing which assays labs perform on non-cannabis and non-hemp sample matrices. All responding labs, 100%, report running Microbial assays. About 79% run Moisture or Water Activity, and 71% run Pesticides, Solvents and Metals. Around 64% measure pH and 36% perform Nutrient testing. Roughly 29% run Alkaloid, Protein or Vitamin assays and 21% run DNA, Lipid or Mineral assays. Less than 15% report Flavonoids, Hydrocarbons or other specialized assays. Because labs can perform many of these assays at once, percentages exceed 100% in total.

Many labs also indicated plans to add new assays within the next year, especially in pesticides, alkaloids, lipids, and microbials—areas where method complexity and traceability matter most.

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How Much Revenue Comes From Non-Cannabis/Hemp Testing?

For most labs, diversification is still early—but growing:

66% of labs reported that non-cannabis/hemp work contributes less than 25% of their total revenue
Labs expect that share to increase, with more respondents projecting 25–90% of revenue coming from non-cannabis samples by the end of this year

In other words, diversification is no longer experimental—it’s strategic.

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How Confident LIMS Scales With Labs Across Industries

Confident LIMS was built for regulated complexity, not a single industry. Today, we support workflows, reporting, and compliance requirements across:

Cannabis & Hemp
Food & Beverage
Nutraceuticals & Supplements
Environmental & Industrial Testing
Petroleum & Mining

All within one configurable system, with:

Assay-specific workflows
Matrix-aware reporting
Full audit trails and traceability
Client portals that work across industries

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Future-Proof Your Lab Operations

As cannabis/hemp labs evolve into multi-industry testing organizations, their LIMS must evolve too. Supporting new matrices, assays, and regulations shouldn’t require a new system—just a better one.

👉 Learn how Confident LIMS supports multi-industry labs: https://www.confidentlims.com/get-started

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FAQ: About the 2025 Confident LIMS User Survey

Who participated in the survey?
Users of Confident LIMS at customer labs across multiple roles, including directors, analysts, QA, operations, and leadership, from across the United States and Canada.

Is this data anonymous?
Yes. Responses were aggregated and anonymized. We only report high-level percentages and counts — no lab names or sensitive operational details are disclosed.

Does this reflect all Confident customers?
It reflects the labs that responded to the 2025 survey. While it’s a subset of our entire customer base, the number of responses represents a statistically valid sample size and the mix of roles and tenure represents aligns closely with what we observe across our entire customer base.

How often will you repeat this survey?
We plan to run similar surveys regularly, so we can track how usage patterns evolve and continue to improve Confident for the teams who depend on it the most.

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Lab Survey Results: Cannabis & Hemp Labs Are Diversifying Industries