, "To avoid these types of consumer class actions, any company that labels its products as containing probiotics would be well advised to label specifically as to strain, quantity, and expected duration of that quantity, and to avoid making health claims. CHICAGO — A man has filed a class action lawsuit against Brew Dr. Kombucha LLC for alleged violations of consumer protection laws, unjust enrichment and breach of express warranty. ", Asked about the substance of the latest complaint, he added: "It is entirely possible that Brew Dr. Kombucha has billions of probiotic bacteria measured using some metric other than CFUs and that its label statement is not literally false. A second class action lawsuit was filed against Brew Dr. Kombucha alleging that its products falsely advertised the levels of probiotic bacteria that was in each beverage. I purchase this kombucha as well please include me .. thanks. Allegedly, these products are often advertised as having various health benefits because of the probiotics, including digestive benefits. The Brew Dr. Kombucha class action states that Amos and other customers were financially injured because they purchased these kombucha products by relying on the amount of probiotics listed on the label. var reg = new RegExp('\\W+', "g"); | Technical / White Paper. Since the release of Brew Dr. from its original kitchen in 2008, the business has expanded to a 50,000-square-foot brewery in the Portland area, where 100% of Brew Dr. is produced. var vOut=""; Your email address will not be published. I bought this once in our nearby grocery store. $(document).ready(function() { This case is just the the latest in recent years against several kombucha companies alleging that their labeling does not match what is actually in the bottle. '> ", Asked whether the case could get bogged down in arguments over testing methodologies, she added: "Maybe Brew Dr will challenge some aspects of the testing.". I drink Brew Dr and eat fermented foods because I don’t like taking pills. vOut = vOut.toLowerCase(); Discover announcements from companies in your industry. In the case of Brew Dr. Kombucha, removing any mention of probiotic content prevents the company from touting health benefits that were previously part of its image and could affect sales. Brew Dr did not respond to our requests for comment, but in court documents filed last summer relating to the 2018 lawsuit, it pointed out that its use of the term 'billions' referred to "probiotic bacteria, yeasts, and organic acids," not just bacteria. Food Navigator reported sales for the year ending February 24 of refrigerated kombucha and other fermented beverages rose 21% to $728.8 million. Your email address will not be published. Placeholders.enable(); Brew Dr. Kombucha Class Action Says Drink Doesn’t Contain Billions of Probiotics, Essential: Remember your cookie permission setting, Essential: Gather information you input into a contact forms, newsletter and other forms across all pages, Essential: Keep track of what you input in a shopping cart, Essential: Authenticate that you are logged into your user account, Essential: Remember language version you selected, Functionality: Remember social media settings, Functionality: Remember selected region and country, Analytics: Keep track of your visited pages and interaction taken, Analytics: Keep track about your location and region based on your IP number, Analytics: Keep track of the time spent on each page, Analytics: Increase the data quality of the statistics functions, Advertising: Tailor information and advertising to your interests based on e.g. Lawsuit takes aim at Brew Dr. Kombucha's probiotics claims Cool Spaces: A Portland food branding specialist's Heart-filled digs These 24 sustainable Oregon … Although the lawsuit claims that the kombucha company advertised its product based on the "probiotic bacteria" in each bottle, the labels in the lawsuit filing state that “each bottle hosts billions of beneficial bacteria, yeast and organic acids” and that it “hosts billions of live and active cultures.”. Here are four shifts in consumer behaviors which will influence food, beverage and supplement manufacturers in Latin America. US retail sales of refrigerated kombucha and other fermented beverages (including hard kombucha) were up 21% to $728.8m in measured channels* in the year to February 24, 2019 driven by strong distribution gains. For companies that settle, there are ramifications including financial compensation as well as reformulations and labeling corrections that can alter the brands in a noticeable fashion. is_redirect && ! Subscribe to Food Dive to get the must-read news & insights in your inbox. So in these cases the defendants will say it's moot, we've already changed our labels, but the plaintiff's attorneys will come back and say we forced you to do that and we should be compensated. 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