Kombucha is gaining popularity in Europe and can be sold in the EU market as long as the strains used are not considered novel. There are currently no compositional requirements established for this type of product at EU level (some Member States may have additional provisions), however, all the horizontal requirements must be considered, e.g. additive and flavouring permissibility, contaminants and hygiene, and labelling requirements, including which claims can be made. 

Most countries require the display of the ABV content as part of the labelling information for alcoholic beverages above a specific strength (typically 0.5 ABV). The location on the label where this should be provided also changes between jurisdictions. Very often this should be displayed on the front of pack, but some countries do not have a specific requirement as to where the information should be placed. It is also worth noting that different countries may have different prescribed wordings or units to use for this information.

Recycling legislation changes from country to country and sometimes from region to region or locally within the same country. It also varies based on the packaging material used, cans, glass bottles etc. Get in touch with our regulatory team for specific advice on a particular area.

As with many other food commodities, there may be compositional requirements that you need to meet, therefore, having the proposed formula checked is advisable. Additionally, it is likely that you will need to prepare new artworks to meet the labelling criteria of the markets that you are exporting to. Lastly, many countries around the world still require food and beverage products to be registered before or at the same time that they are placed on the market. For example, the US requires premarket approval for labels of alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverage manufactures may have specific registration requirements. 

Generally speaking, it is unusual for these types of beverages to be regulated by specific legislation. The most common scenario is that these products fall within the general umbrella of non-alcoholic beverages. One significant exemption is Australia and New Zealand, where brewed soft drinks have specific compositional requirements as set by Standard 2.6.2 Non-alcoholic beverages and brewed soft drinks.