Anna Bradley-Smith  |  October 14, 2021

Category: Food

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health-ade kombucha
(Photo Credit: Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock)

Health-Ade Kombucha Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

  • Who: Health-Ade has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging false advertising of its kombucha drinks
  • Why: Consumers say the drinks, which are marketed as being healthy, actually increase the risk of numerous metabolic diseases
  • Where: The lawsuit was filed in California on behalf of consumers nationwide

Despite being marketed as a product that increases gut and all round health, the high levels of sugar in Health-Ade Kombucha increases risks of metabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and all-cause mortality, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

The class action was filed in California on October 7 by lead plaintiffs Brandon Johnson-Jack and Michael Xavier, who allege Health-Ade LLC has falsely advertised and sold its line of kombucha or kombucha-inspired beverages violating state and federal laws.

Because the Health-Ade beverages contain a high amount of added sugar, the company’s representations the drinks will aid health are false and misleading, the pair say, since consuming beverages sweetened with high amounts of added sugar increase the risk of a number of diseases.

Johnson-Jack and Xavier bought around 16 bottles of the kombucha drinks (which are made from tea, water, sugar, and a culture of yeast and bacteria for fermentation) each, both say they were under the impression the drinks were beneficial to their health.

“Defendant prominently labeled and continues to label the Health-Ade Beverages with the claim, ‘Health-Ade,’ which expressly conveys the message that the Health-Ade Beverages are healthy,” the pair alleges in the lawsuit.

“This claim, however, was and is deceptive because the products do not aid health, but instead, their high sugar content makes their regular consumption likely to increase the risk of disease.”

Health-Ade Kombucha Comes With Not-So-Healthy Dose of Sugar

Each standard serving of the kombucha contains between 12 to 17 grams of sugar — including 10 to 13 grams of added sugar — accounting for between 60 to 91 percent of the products’ calories, the claim reads.

Johnson-Jack and Xavier say in the lawsuit that excess added sugar consumption leads to metabolic syndrome by stressing and damaging crucial organs, including the pancreas and liver.

“Metabolic disease has been linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease,” they say.

Even if the pro- or prebiotics in the Health-Ade beverages were capable of providing some benefit to gut health, because regular consumption of the products is likely to detriment overall health, it is still deceptive for Health-Ade to brand and market the products as “Health-Ade” which speaks to overall health and wellness, not just gut health, they argue.

Johnson-Jack and Xavier want to represent anyone in the U.S. who has purchased Health-Ade kombucha products. They are suing for violations of California’s unfair competition, false advertising, and consumer legal remedies laws, and breach of warranties.

They seek certification of the class, injunctive relief, restitution, damages, legal fees and costs, and a jury trial.

This isn’t the first consumer legal action filed over the Health-Ade Kombucha. In 2019, Whole Foods agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for $4 million, ending claims that the company sells Health-Ade kombucha which is mislabeled as non-alcoholic when it really contains alcohol from the fermentation process. Whole Foods Market Inc. and Health-Ade LLC provided a refund to customers who bought the kombucha in the amount of $4 per bottle purchased.

Do you drink Health-Ade Kombucha? Tell us if you knew about the added sugar in the comments section below!

Johnson-Jack and Xavier are represented by Jack Fitzgerald, Paul K. Joseph, Melanie Persinger, and Trevor M. Flynn of Fitzgerald Joseph LLP.

The Health-Ade Kombucha False Ad Class Action Lawsuit is Johnson-Jack, et al., v. Health-Ade LLC, Case No. 3:21-cv-07895 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of California.


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365 thoughts onHealth-Ade Kombucha Increases Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes, Class Action Alleges

  1. Jessica lee says:

    Please add me Jessica Lee

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