Health approvals

Keeping kombucha and other ferments at or under 1% alcohol

In BC a drink is liquor once it holds more than 1% alcohol, and making liquor needs a manufacturer licence. Kombucha — and, by the same chemistry, water kefir and ginger beer — can keep fermenting in the bottle; a BC study found 70% of BC kombucha makers had products above 1%. Your Food safety planYour written account of where food could become unsafe in your kitchen and how you prevent it — cooking and cooling temperatures, for example, and what you do when one is missed. BC requires one from every food premises, alongside a sanitation plan.All terms in the glossary should show how you keep it under the line, including testing at bottling and at the end of shelf life; at 1.1% or more, federal rules also require the alcohol percentage on the label.

Who issues it
Island Health (your food safety plan); LCRB above 1%

Which businesses need it

The rules behind this page

Last checked 5 November 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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