Geneva from Kombuchaid was in the Fair Food warehouse the other day dropping off her final batch of kombucha. Geneva decided to wind up her business after kombucha brewers came under the scrutiny of environmental health authorities. The State government is taking a hard-line antibacterial approach pressuring brewers to pasteurise and artificially carbonate kombucha like commercial beer. And although Geneva has investors willing to buy the expensive brewing equipment, the resulting “dead” kombucha is about as far away from the original living drink that inspired her to begin brewing in the first place.

This whole kombucha kerfuffle started in late 2015 there was a when the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation issued notices to local brewers to withdraw or recall their kombucha from sale. The notices came about because several kombuchas available for sale tested above 0.5% alcohol. In the eyes of the law this is when a soft drink becomes an alcoholic drink, though confusingly not in the eyes of Federal lawmakers - the Australian Food Standard Code allows a 1.15% alcohol level in soft drinks.

Kombucha is easily ridiculed, like the unfortunate kid at school called Kale, it’s a forgone conclusion there will be teasing. And with its association to hipster culture it’s a soft target for authorities who seem to like the easy publicity that comes from regulating “non-mainstream foods” (read raw milk). Makes me wonder if kombucha was called something like Real Live Aussie Ginger Beer would it have come under the same scrutiny?

The need for enforcement, according to Minister responsible at the time, Jane Garrett, was that kombucha might become attractive to children - possibly leading to roving gangs of kombucha-addled urchins with high counts of beneficial intestinal bacteria hanging around outside kombucha outlets begging legitimate customers for a hit (that last bit of extrapolation was mine). Now laws for compulsory seatbelts are a no brainer and regulations for potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals sure, but live kombucha – is it honestly a public health priority?