Saturday, July 3, 2010

THE KOMBUCHA KAPER!

What the "bleep" happened to my Kombucha?!  Really!  I went shopping with the kids at Wild by Nature the other day, and when I went to grab my beloved Kombucha--there were none; not only of one brand, but ALL brands were off the shelf.  I literally could feel my blood pressure building as I created a scenario of the story and then the REAL story of what was going on.

The answer from the customer service girl was "oh, yeah, they recalled Kombucha", and she handed me a sheet of utterly useless information.  It gave me not a hint of the back story.  Later after googling the event, a photo of Lindsay Lohan came up holding a bottle with a statement from GT Kombucha that this incident had nothing to do with Lindsay.  Apparently Lindsay has used up her lot of alcohol in this lifetime, so .05 percent more in one day set off the SCRAM police?

The possible elevated alcohol level is the reason it was "voluntarily" taken off the shelves.  A guy who is making a killing on a product that has gone from a single flavor (original) to over a dozen different flavors, doesn't "voluntarily" stop doing business without an amazing amount of fear to precipitate that event.  So, who made the call to Whole Foods that Kombucha (the healthiest thing to hit the grocery shelves in decades) may have a slightly happier amount of alcohol in it than intended (if that's even true)?  I don't know.  

That is the real story here; the other is why everything healthy is being so attacked in this country.  My friend sent me a youtube link that brought up lots of conspiracy theories about the groups that may really be running this world--this, right after seeing that, makes me want to throw my TV out the second floor window shouting "WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE"!  Or at least....I'll see if I can locate a baby to start making my own Kombucha.  Meanwhile my inner hippy is still chanting:  Never trust the Man!

5 comments:

Raine Saunders said...

I have been thinking about this kombucha thing, and I can understand if something contains alcohol and could inebriate people it should be labeled, but honestly, I have only heard of a few people becoming intoxicated from drinking it, and those were extreme cases where they consumed a lot at once. The natural fizziness from the fermentation, I believe, keeps most people from drinking down or guzzling it, which is what would be necessary in order to truly intoxicate someone. I have drank it many times and never become intoxicated, my son has also drank it many times and not become intoxicated - both the store-bought variety and our homemade. I think this whole thing is really a knee-jerk reaction. I'm angry that something like this can get pulled for something that really isn't an issue (in my opinion), and factory farm products that have repeatedly made people sick & will continue to do so are still allowed on the shelf.

Nourishing Nancy said...

I've drank A LOT at once...oh, heaven forgive me, and never felt anything other than slightly mellow. In today's world, that's a nice feeling--much coveted, I'd say. There's more to this story than what's being printed. Like I said, who made the call to Whole Foods? Is this a payoff thing, an FDA attack, or something else? I don't know.
Factory farm products, as you know, are always supported by BIG money; they have too much power behind them to be taken off the shelf like this. Not to say that certain products haven't been removed for containing things that are extremely harmful, as in E.coli, other pathogens, or chemical problems like in Tylenol/children's motrin; however, the natural products are always attacked for more innocuous substances....like alcohol levels. Beer and hard liquors are sold--why does kombucha need to be pulled off the shelves INDEFINITELY for alcohol? That's why making your own, co ops, and small farms are the answer.
I'm almost at the point where I don't care if anyone else is interested in learning about true health--just keep your hands off mine!! Too angry? Sorry. We all have our breaking points. Mine was not being able to quench my thirst this week!! Thanks for writing!

Nourishing Nancy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tracy said...

Wow! I hear you!
I have never tried Kombucha. I am afraid it will taste like beer and I hate the taste of beer.
But I have a kombucha baby in my home. I got it from Cultures for Life. Now I just need to take the leap and make some.
I sure hope it doesn't taste like beer...

Nourishing Nancy said...

Haven't made it myself, but the store bought ones are delicious: Especially the ones with juices in them; you can do that to yours. Good luck with that, and let me know how it comes out! Take the leap...be not afraid of this bubbly beverage, my friend; however, you just might love it so much you'll find it a habit you don't want to break!!