The Buzz about Kombucha

Apparently there are a lot of questions regarding the recent decision by Whole Foods Market (note – this refers to the national chain, NOT the locally owned Jackson Whole Grocer) to pull kombucha from its shelves while the companies who make it sort out how much alcohol is actually in the stuff.

Now before everyone gets their panties in a wad suspecting too much government interference or the big, bad corporations setting some kind of precident the little guys are expected to follow, let’s try to look at the situation with an open, rational mind.

First, for the uninitiated, kombucha is a fermented tea that is claimed to cure everything from cancer and HIV to baldness (for the record, the latter is most certainly not a disease but apparently hair growth is big business). Though little scientific research exists to back up the various health claims, kombucha has become wildly popular in the US and is made both commercially and in home kitchens everywhere these days.

The process of making kombucha starts with green or black tea, some kind of sugar and a yeast and bacteria combo called either “the mother” or “the mushroom” (I’m sure one’s choice of nomenclature here speaks volumes about the brewer but that’s fodder for another blog). According to several sources kombucha normally contains less than 0.5% alcohol but may contain higher levels depending on several factors, some of which are still not well understood – hence the current problem.

You see fermentation is by definition the conversion of some kind of carbohydrates (sugars) to alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. Fermentation can also be used to create acids for food preservation (think sauerkraut, kimchi, and yogurt). According to a recent NY Times piece a beverage industry publication suggested bottled kombucha may continue to ferment in the bottle and can contain up to three percent alcohol – the amount in some beers.

So you can see the dilemma. Kombucha is sold as a non-alcoholic beverage. Say a pregnant woman drinks kombucha thinking she is doing something healthy for herself and her baby. Low and behold the baby is born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome despite completely shunning  alcohol during her entire pregnancy. I suspect if she’d been getting her kombucha fix at a Whole Foods Market they’d hear about it – in court. Whether she’d win or not is another issue.

The other two pieces of information you need to know are 1) several suppliers of kombucha pulled the stuff prior to the Whole Foods announcement and 2) the US Treasury Department issued a warning about selling kombucha with an alcohol content above 0.5%. (It is interesting to note the government warning did not originate from any of the  agencies charged with watching out for public health but instead it was the branch concerned they may be missing out on the precious tax revenue this potentially new alcoholic beverage would generate! In fairness however, the statement did include concern for pregnant women and others who may be negatively affected by unintended alcohol consumption…it’s just interesting to me that it was the treasury dept. that spoke up first.)

I guess in light of the fact that the last time kombucha made big headlines it was due to a death and a serious illness in Iowa that were possibly linked to batches of “home-brewed” kombucha, this current publicity isn’t the worst case scenario. The “buyer beware” message here is that if you are drinking kombucha and are not supposed to have alcohol for any reason, you may want to stop for a while until this thing is sorted out. I also wouldn’t recommend feeding it to your baby or young children, or your elderly grandparents who may have immunity issues or be taking medications that don’t mix well with alcohol.

Yes it’s a bummer that Whole Foods and “Big Brother” are watching their behinds and revenue streams respectively, thus inconveniencing kombucha drinkers all over, but at heart I’m sure they are doing what they think is right. For those of you who enjoy kombucha and consider the possibility of getting a buzz from your daily tea a bonus, there is nothing to keep you from finding a “mother” or “mushroom” and making your own concoction at home.

This post contributed by Mary Howley Ryan, MS, RD – see the Nutritionality page for more about Mary.