The results of the literature review were provided to the plant identification working group and the development of the practice proceeded from there. Not all of the themes identified in the literature were necessarily strictly within the confines of our activities (which were determined to be restricted to the raw material harvesting/collecting stage). However, to meet the recommendations contained in the various documents required establishing proper practices at the production stage of the chain. For example, a common theme running through many of the recommendations is to assign a number to each lot to ensure traceability of the material through the chain. In our practice, an identification number is assigned to each lot at the retention sample and certificate of authenticity stage. In general, the practice developed in this project meets or exceeds any of the recommendations found in the existing protocols for plant identification located to date.

Another key area of concern for the working group was that the process should enable widespread participation by those involved in the industry now, as well as those who may enter the industry in the future. Because of this, the group recognized that many producers without a formal education still have extensive knowledge of the plant materials they work with (in some cases, beyond the capabilities of more formally trained- experts). Therefore, the group recognized that the identification process can be pursued- by anyone with the experience, education, or training to reliably identify plant materials.