Kombucha Lawsuit Claims Misleading Product Information

Kombucha is a fermented beverage usually made from tea and some kind of sugar (fruit, honey, etc.) and is considered a “probiotic” and an antioxidant. Kombucha contains healthy bacteria that proponents claim aids in digestion as well as providing a wealth of other health benefits.

Before the fermentation process, this sweetened tea is mixed with healthy bacteria and yeast and then allowed to ferment.

However, a new kombucha lawsuit has been filed against KeVita, owned by PepsiCo, claiming that the drink company falsified information about the pasteurization of its products.

Kombucha Health Benefits

Kombucha is a fizzy, sweetened drink with a flavor similar to apple cider.  It is filled with healthy bacteria enhanced through the fermentation process.

The assumed health benefits of kombucha include disease prevention, supporting a healthy gut, support of mental health, increasing lung health, acting as an antibacterial, aiding in the management of diabetes, and support for the liver and cardiovascular system.

Kombucha has been around as a drink for hundreds of years, but only recently has it gained in popularity as health-aware individuals have begun to drink it. Thus, large companies like PepsiCo, meeting the needs of the health-conscious, have begun to produce it.

But some kombucha makers have allegedly falsified information about their drinks and, as a result, may have deceived the public.

One recent kombucha lawsuit, filed in Ventura, Calif., claims that PepsiCo’s KeVita brand of kombucha drinks, Master Brew, is pasteurized. Pasteurization is a process by which bacteria in food is killed by applying heat.

This process, in other drinks and food such as milk, cheese or juice, helps keep consumers healthy by killing unhealthy bacteria. However, for kombucha drinkers, the health benefits come as a result of the “healthy” bacteria present in the drink. If it is pasteurized, those perceived health benefits are lost.

This kombucha lawsuit asserts that consumers expect their kombucha drink to be “raw” and unpasteurized and that a better term for KeVita’s Master Brew line would be “kombucha-flavored tea.”

Customer Expectations for Kombucha

According to this kombucha lawsuit, KeVita claims they add shelf-stable probiotics to their Master Brew kombucha drinks after the pasteurization process. But customers, the kombucha lawsuit claims, have been misled.

By nature of what kombucha is, consumers assume that those probiotics are as a result of the fermentation process, not something that is added in.

This kombucha lawsuit claims, “To tap into the small batch nature of historical kombucha beverages, and to tether itself to the traditional methods of production customers desire, KeVita advertises on each label of the KeVita Master Brew kombucha that its kombucha beverages are ‘handcrafted.'”

It goes on to say that these images and terms are meant to speak to customers in a positive way and to get them to believe that KeVita is still a “raw” kombucha drink.

This kombucha lawsuit states that until as late as 2011, KeVita sold their kombucha drinks as a “raw” product and marketed the Master Brew line as allegedly unpasteurized. But, since then, they have allegedly begun pasteurizing their products and adding the probiotics.

This kombucha lawsuit is not the only way that this industry has come under fire lately. Some consumers claim that their kombucha drink manufacturers have misled them regarding the amount of sugar in the drink or how the drink can benefit one’s health. Some of these brands that are under investigation include Yogi Green Tea Kombucha, Reed’s Kombucha, Live Kombucha Soda, Townsend’s Brew and many others.

If you believe you have been misled about nutritional information for your kombucha drink, you may be able to file a kombucha lawsuit. Speaking with an experienced attorney can help you determine your best options.

Join a Free Kombucha Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased kombucha products in the last four years based on representations about the products’ purported health benefits and/or nutrition contents, you may qualify to participate in a free kombucha false advertising class action lawsuit investigation.

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