Alcoholism At Large

Before you try that tasty-looking probiotic drink from your local health-food store, take a close look at the fine print. Many brands of kombucha, a fizzy drink made from fermented tea, contain anywhere from 0.5 to 2 percent alcohol, even though it is marketed as a non-alcoholic health drink. 



Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets the dividing line between non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages at 0.5 percent, all kombucha contains at least a small amount of alcohol and some have significantly more. The FDA has been warning people about this since 2010. 



“Our research team is working closely with the Center for Disease Control to accurately determine ethanol levels,” said Paula Brown, research director at British Columbia Institute of Technology. “It is our goal to establish a set of best practices for production, such as proper storage.” Proper storage can be a problem. When kombucha isn’t kept properly refrigerated, alcohol content can rise in the bottle.