Kombucha class action claims popular drink brand contains PFAS

Kombucha class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Alanna Morton filed a class action lawsuit against Health-Ade LLC.
• Why: Health-Ade kombucha allegedly contains dangerous “forever chemicals” that can pose adverse health effects, yet the company represents the beverage as “natural” and “organic.”
• Where: The kombucha PFAS lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.

Health-Ade LLC manufactures kombucha beverage products that contain dangerous levels of “forever chemicals,” according to a class action lawsuit filed Jan. 9 in New York federal court.

Plaintiff Alanna Morton says Health-Ade sells kombucha and other products marketed and advertised as “health” beverages that are “natural” and “organic.”

However, independent laboratory testing reportedly found Health-Ade kombucha tested positive for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their persistence and tendency to accumulate in human bodies and the environment.

“These PFAS chemicals are all dangerous to human health if ingested, even at very low levels,” the kombucha lawsuit says.

Kombucha lawsuit says PFAS exposure linked to adverse health issues

PFAS exposure has reportedly been linked to a number of potential health issues, including thyroid disorders, immunotoxic effects, various cancers, decreased fertility and liver damage.

“No reasonable consumer would expect that a product marketed for one’s health would contain dangerous PFAS, which are indisputably linked to harmful health effects in humans,” the kombucha class action lawsuit alleges.

The Biden administration has acknowledged the severity of the risk posed by PFAS exposure and has launched an effort to protect Americans from the dangerous forever chemicals.

Morton says she purchased a Health-Ade kombucha product because she believed the representations that it would support “health” and a “happy gut,” “restore body and mind,” and was “natural” and “organic.”

If she had known about the kombucha PFAS content, she says she would not have purchased the product. She says she would consider purchasing Health-Ade kombucha in the future if they no longer contain dangerous PFAS.

Morton filed the kombucha lawsuit on behalf of herself and a proposed class of individuals who purchased the Health-Ade kombucha products in the United States during the applicable statute of limitations period.

The kombucha PFAS class action lawsuit asserts claims for violations of New York General Business Law and unjust enrichment.

Health-Ade has previously faced a kombucha class action lawsuit alleging the beverage increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Have you purchased Health-Ade kombucha products? Tell us what you think about the kombucha PFAS lawsuit in the comments.

Morton is represented by Joshua D. Arisohn, Philip L. Fraietta and Alec M. Leslie of Bursor & Fisher PA.

The kombucha PFAS class action lawsuit is Alanna Morton v. Health-Ade LLC, Case No. 7:24-cv-00173, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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