These Trendy Drinks Contain Alcohol—But Don't Indicate It on the Labels

Marketed as healthy, some of today's most trendy beverages secretly contain alcohol. The issue? Manufacturers often fail to disclose this on their product labels clearly.

It's no secret that consumers need to stay vigilant while shopping. To sell their products, some manufacturers employ dubious tactics—whether through misleading claims, masking ingredient identities with vague terminology, employing legally ambiguous marketing strategies, or outright omitting critical information. Unfortunately, the latest trendy drinks invading the shelves of organic stores and supermarkets are no exception.

Promoted as healthy alternatives to sodas, these drinks offer a host of benefits: packed with probiotics, they aid digestion and support a healthy gut microbiota. Associated with balanced lifestyles, these beverages particularly appeal to consumers seeking natural products. Among the most popular are kefir and kombucha. But how could these so-called health boosters possibly pose a problem?

It turns out that an association of consumers UFC has uncovered a hidden truth: the presence of alcohol. Shockingly, this information is either absent from the labels or included in barely noticeable small print. According to their survey, half of the products examined made no mention of alcohol, while the other half disclosed it inconspicuously.

Kefir—whether made with milk or water—and kombucha, brewed from sweetened tea, owe their effervescence to natural fermentation processes involving yeast and bacteria. This process inevitably produces alcohol, even in small amounts. Industrial products typically contain between 0.5% and 1.2% alcohol, but homemade kefir can reach levels as high as 2%. Despite this, the labels often fail to adequately inform consumers.

Legally, this omission is permissible under common regulations, which require alcohol content to be clearly stated only if it exceeds 1.2%. Most manufacturers ensure their products stay below this threshold. However, the lack of transparency raises ethical concerns.

While such low alcohol levels might be negligible for many, they can pose risks for certain groups, including pregnant women, children, and people with religious or medical restrictions. Even small amounts of alcohol can interact poorly with certain medications, such as antidepressants. In one case, a former alcohol-dependent individual experienced symptoms of relapse after drinking kombucha. The potential harm is real, although is quite low.