Kombucha & Synergy Settlement: Up to $35 Back for Qualifying Purchases (No Receipt Required)
Have you bought GT’s Kombucha Products before?
If you’ve purchased select varieties of GT’s Classic Kombucha, Classic Synergy, Enlightened Kombucha and Enlightened Synergy products (listed below) between 3/11/2011 and 2/27/2017, you are entitled to receive $3.50 per qualified purchase (up to $35) by check – no proof of purchase required!
BUT, if you do have proof of purchase, you may receive $3.50 per unit with a limit of up to $60! Be sure to read the instructions carefully, fill out the Claim Form, and mail your form postmarked no later than May 30th, 2017 to the address below or submit your Claim Form online by May 30th, 2017.
Millennium Settlement
Claims Administrator
1801 Market Street, Suite 660
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Qualifying Products:
- Classic Kombucha: Original, Citrus, Gingerade, Multi-Green, Third Eye Chai;
- Classic Synergy: Cosmic Cranberry, Maqui Berry Mint, Divine Grape, Gingerberry Raspberry Rush, Strawberry Serenity, Superfruits, Trilogy;
- Enlightened Kombucha: Botanic No. 3, Botanic No. 7, Botanic No. 9, Citrus, Gingerade, Multi-Green, Original;
- Enlightened Synergy: Black Chia, Cosmic Cranberry, Cherry Chia, Gingerberry, Grape Chia, Green Chia, Guava Goddess, Mystic Mango, Passionberry Bliss, Raspberry Chia, Strawberry Serenity, Trilogy
If you’d rather, you can also choose to receive a voucher redeemable for a FREE Millennium product for every bottle of the item product that you purchased during this time period, valued at up to $3.50.
Are you wondering what this settlement is about? The Settlement claims that Millennium mislabeled products or caused product loss by claiming products contained antioxidants in them when they do not, labeling and advertising certain products as non-alcoholic when the fermentation of the products contain more than the amount of alcohol permitted for non-alcoholic beverages and more.
(Thanks, Jen!)
Wait so these contain alcohol?
Yes. Kombucha is made by fermentation and as it is not pasteurized, it contains alcohol. GT does not use consistent brewing conditions (at least they didn’t use it) and they also did not ship or store their kombucha in refrigerated conditions. So fermentation would continue and there’s no way to tell exactly how much alcohol any given batch could contain. Only half a percent is legally allowed before it must be regulated as an alcoholic beverage. Kind is a public health concern, if you ask me. And you should 😉 I literally wrote my masters thesis on this.
Makes sense when you put it that way. Just never crossed my mind.
Alcohol is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars. Fruits contain a lot of sugar, hence the reason they are used to make many alcohols, specifically wines. I wouldn’t stress over this too much. The proof ( content of ethanol/alcohol in an alcoholic beverage) probably would not have been high enough for you to notice a problem with your kids… unless they were drinking a lot of this. HTH! 🙂
This is pretty ridiculous. It is upsetting when people have nothing better to do than to look for reasons to sue companies. And to answer your question, Kombucha (no matter who makes it, whether it’s a company or you make it at home) has a small percent of alcohol because it’s fermented. It is a very healthy beverage and it’s a shame they’re trying to do this. I don’t see anyone suing Nestle, for example for all the garbage they put in kids products.
Nestle doesn’t have alcohol in it and claim to be non-alcoholic. You’re comparing apples to oranges. I agree some lawsuits are very frivolous but if this truly does contain more alcohol than legally allowed for non-alcoholic products, something should be done.
So glad that they are doing this, bought some a while back, opened one and drank it and thought it didn’t seem non alcoholic. Didn’t even finish it and threw out the others I purchased.
For a class action suit to get to the payout stage, people far more informed on both the ingredients AND the law have determined that there is merit to this claim. Where do you get off blaming the plaintiffs for the company’s failure?
Oh, and since you “don’t see anyone suing Nestle” take two seconds to google Gyorke-Takatri et al v. Nestle USA, Inc., et al.
It also says they claim to include something (antioxidants) when they did not. That is false advertising and companies should be accountable in order to protect the consumer.
Roxy, unregulated alcohol is a public health concern. Kombucha left to ferment for as long as GT used to (30 days) can contain more than twice the amount of alcohol legally allowed to be unregulated and that’s at bottling. Imagine being transported on hot trucks, being kept in storage closets. Fermentation continues and unless brewing condition and storage methods are standardized, it’s a public health problem. Imagine children, alcoholics, and people with metabolic disorders drinking this and not having any idea how much alcohol they are consuming. Again. This is what I wrote my thesis on. I know my stuff 🙂
right? Now I find out after I’ve bought them for my kids:(
The amount of alcohol in a whole bottle is so teeny tiny you shouldn’t worry about it unless your kiddo is severely allergic to alcohol. To put this in context, a glass of ///orange juice/// can contain up to 0.5% alcohol.
Thank goodness! I bought a few and I flat out thought they were nasty…glad to get my money back
We spent SOOOOo much money on these!!!!
I love these and will continue to buy them. I’m very sensitive to alcohol and have never felt the slightest bit off after drinking 1. For as long as I’ve been buying them, they have been labeled as containing some alcohol as anyone who understands what kombucha is would realize. The gingerberry is delicious!
Agree! Love these so much I will continue to drink them for sure. All the ones I have purchased have clearly stated on the label that they contain alcohol too. I love the gingerade and gingerberry too but trilogy is by far my favorite! I tried the multigreen last week and not gonna lie, it tasted pretty bad lol!
LOVE THESE!!! I will continue to support them and purchase these on a weekly basis! Kombucha is SOOOO wonderful for health. I strongly recommend anyone who hasn’t, to read up on the health benefits.
Agree!! The health benefits far outweigh the trace amounts of alcohol. Been drinking these for years. Fermented foods and beverages are essential for optimal health!
We had a bunch of these at church that someone donated. They were very close to their sell-by dates and whoa were they potent. Kombucha = the new Methodist buzz
Hahaha!
Such a teeny amount. Never once have I felt a buzz, just relief from a stomach ache. I am sure regulation and distribution of kombucha is tough, but I would hate to see a good thing go off the market. It needs to ferment to be full of the good bacteria we need. I have given some to my kids, but usually they can only drink about a quarter of a bottle.
As I read about this class action settlement, I am drinking GT’s Kombucha Gingerade flavor. The bottle does state there is a small amount of naturally occurring alcohol in the drink. I drink these daily as I just got off a strong dose of antibiotics and need to get the good bacteria back into my digestive system. Antibiotics kill the bad and good bacteria. I need the good bacteria. 🙂
Good for you! We need more companies that promote good bacteria! I’d hate to see this company go under because of this.
Why would they go under?
This is a HUGE payout (loss) for their business.
I love GT’s Kombucha! Like others have said it states on the bottle that kombucha is a fermented tea that has naturally occuring alcohol. I love the carbonation as well as the health benefits. I haven’t had any with any great amount of alcohol in them or I’d be able to tell since we rarely drink any. Good stuff!!!!