Whole Foods, Millennium Sued Over Kombucha Drinks

Whole Foods and Millennium Products Inc. were hit with a proposed national class action alleging Millennium’s kombucha tea drinks, which undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle, can leak or explode when opened because of carbon dioxide buildup (Pedro v. Millenium Prods. Inc., N.D. Cal., 15-5253, complaint filed 11/17/15).

Additionally, because of the fermentation, the beverages may contain more than 0.5 percent alcohol, the legally allowed limit for a non-alcoholic beverage, California resident Nina Pedro and Washington state resident Rosaline Lewis allege. However, they aren’t properly labeled, according to the Nov. 17 complaint.

Kombucha is generally an effervescent ...