New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is supporting Daily Organics in its recall of kombucha due to higher-than-permitted alcohol levels.

“The issue with Daily Organics kombucha is that it was found to have levels of alcohol content higher than permitted,” NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said.

Daily Organics Kombucha is sold as a non-alcoholic beverage, which legally means the product must have less than 1.15 per cent alcohol.

“Alcohol is naturally present in low amounts due to the fermentation process required to make kombucha. NZFS testing showed levels ranging between 2.9 per cent and 3.29 per cent, making a 200ml bottle the equivalent of half a standard drink.

“To ensure consumers have the correct information, Daily Organics are informing their customers of this issue,” Arbuckle said.

“Consumers concerned with the alcohol content should not consume this product,” a statement released by NZFS today said.

The recall affects all batches and date ranges of:

• Daily Organics Kombucha Original (200ml and 1L)
• Daily Organics Kombucha Chai and Spices (200ml and 1L)
• Daily Organics Kombucha Lemon and Ginger (200ml and 1 L)

“As some kombucha is live - such as in the case of the Daily Organics products - it is possible it can keep fermenting in the bottle if not refrigerated, producing more alcohol,” Arbuckle said.

“We remind consumers to pay close attention to the directions for use, and to keep live kombucha chilled to below 4 degrees Celsius.”

All products have since been removed from shelves in all Daily Organics Kombucha retailers and NZFS is encouraging customers to return the affected product to the place of purchase for a refund if they choose not to consume it.