Specialized food safety and quality assurance consulting for licensed natural medicine cultivators. We bring 25 years of certified laboratory expertise to an industry where contamination can mean a loss of trust or even a loss of license.
Schedule a ConsultationHyphal Consulting Group was founded by Hilary M. Sullivan, PhD, a food safety and quality assurance scientist with a 25-year career spanning university research, commercial laboratory management, regulatory compliance, and method development — to serve licensed natural medicine cultivators navigating a young and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
We don't consult from the outside looking in. We have built labs, passed audits, developed methods, trained teams, and solved contamination problems from within some of the most rigorously regulated food safety environments in the country — under FDA, USDA, EPA, and state regulatory oversight.
We also understand what it means to run a small operation. Our principal scientist has been involved in startups, built her own agricultural operation, and stood up laboratory programs with no existing infrastructure to build on. She knows how to wear many hats, move fast, and work within real-world constraints.
Our philosophy is simple: we put ourselves out of a job. We build your team's capability so you don't need us forever. That's how we know we've been successful.
When the US dairy industry needed to meet EU and China export restrictions, there were no established testing methods. Our principal scientist developed and validated the NPE testing methods that brought the US dairy supply into compliance — from scratch, under regulatory scrutiny, with documented results.
When ISO 17025 accreditation was needed, our principal scientist designed and executed the entire quality management system independently — no outside consultants. Just the work.
This is the level of capability we bring to your operation.
Chronic or sporadic contamination events have identifiable root causes. We find them. Using systematic root cause analysis methodology, we trace contamination to its source — whether environmental, procedural, or equipment related — and deliver a documented corrective action plan that protects your operation and your license. For operations still in the planning stage, we also consult on facility design — because the right layout, airflow, and surface decisions made before the first product is produced are far less expensive than the problems they prevent.
Your team is your biggest contamination risk and your best defense. We design and deliver hands-on aseptic technique training for new and existing employees, building the muscle memory that keeps your grows clean consistently. We offer train-the-trainer programs with full materials so your team can sustain and grow the program independently.
State-required pathogen testing through certified external labs is expensive and creates operational dependency. We evaluate your current testing requirements, assess available methods, and provide a clear roadmap. When you're ready to bring testing in house, we design and validate the program within your facility. We have developed original assays with documented impact in the food safety industry. In a young industry still defining its own testing standards, having someone who can build a method from scratch is not a luxury — it's a competitive advantage.
ISO 9001 certification instills credibility, enhances safety, and builds confidence in your product. Testing laboratories pursuing ISO 17025 signal the highest standard of analytical reliability. Having designed and executed a complete ISO 17025 quality management system independently, our principal scientist bridges the gap between your team and your certification consultant — so the process is faster, smoother, and audit-ready. We know what auditors actually look for because we have led successful accreditation audits from the inside.
Whether you're dealing with an active contamination problem, preparing for certification, or simply want to understand your testing options — we're happy to have a real conversation about your operation.
No pitch. Just science.