The 2026 Freshness by Design Award

Cannabis product safety does not end when a product passes laboratory testing or reaches a dispensary shelf. Exposure to moisture, air, light, temperature changes, and improper handling can alter cannabis quality before it reaches a patient or while it is stored at home. Excessive moisture can create conditions that support microbial growth, while overly dry flower may lose volatile terpenes and other characteristics that influence product consistency. For medical cannabis patients who depend on particular formulations or chemical profiles, these changes can affect the medicine they ultimately use.

The Freshness by Design Award recognizes technologies, packaging systems, storage products, and preservation innovations that protect cannabis quality and integrity throughout distribution, retail storage, and consumer use. It celebrates approaches that manage moisture and environmental exposure, limit contamination and degradation, and help maintain product consistency over time. Preservation is an essential extension of cultivation, manufacturing, and laboratory testing because the condition of a product when tested may not fully reflect its condition when consumed.

The 2026 nominees, Cannador and Vivi (formerly Boveda), demonstrate different approaches to maintaining appropriate storage conditions for cannabis flower. Cannador combines specialized storage containers with humidity management, while Vivi develops two-way humidity control systems intended for use throughout the supply chain. Their innovations highlight an often-overlooked component of product safety: protecting the characteristics and integrity of cannabis after production so patients receive medicine that remains as consistent and reliable as possible.

Learn more about the Freshness By Design Award and the nominees' role in Cannabis Safety.