Well three obvious problems jump out at me -

no salt and no vinegar which are required in safe fermenting and

lids screwed on tightly which can easily lead to exploding jars and

no follow-up heat processing for safe shelf storage and no refrigeration.

This uses untested and unapproved, purchased and pre-mixed ingredients to make the fermenting culture rather than using natural fermentation processes. So is it safe? No way to know but I sure wouldn't do it. Too much bacterial risk for me and approved and tested how-to ferment info is readily available from NCHFP so it is just easier and safer to stick with it. JMO

For approval, the preparation process, all the included ingredients, and the end product (usually 2 jars) have to be submitted to a food safety lab for testing. Annie can give you the details since she went through it with her salsa. Often they require at least 1 year of shelf storage and then follow-up testing on that product too before approving. Your local county extension office or any local state university can provide you with contact info for local food safety labs.

Dave

OK, I looked at the site. Here's my take on it.

You are paying excessive money for things you could do safely by going closer to the source.

The culture starter is basically a powdered live-culture yogurt. Going back to what I said in your previous thread, you would derive a similar benefit with a lot less effort by eating good yogurt (make your own - it's easy and cheap) and lots of vegetables. An Indian cucumber or other veggie raita comes to mind.

You can also ferment (pickle) cabbage and use buttermilk in the fermentation stock. Fermentation produces lactic acid, so I wouldn't pay a premium for what I can let mother nature do for me.

The beverage is a fermentation of quinoa and other grains. There's no magic in it. Just eat the grains. Learning to make sourdough bread wouldn't hurt either.

That "beverage" also contains Dong quai, and I tend to suspect any company that sells a product with that ingredient. It is not recommended for pregnant women (raises the risk of miscarriage), nursing mothers, anyone taking hormones (i.e. women in menopause) as it has a hormonal effect, those at risk of hormonal cancers, those on blood-thinners and anti-coagulants. And the list goes on. Half of my family probably falls into one category or another.

The body is wonderfully resilient. It is designed to digest efficiently just as it is. Fermentation is not a magic pill. It's one tool which judiciously used can enhance health (and provide enjoyable eating).

But I really loathe sites which prey upon people's fears, use pseudo-science and tout products of questionable economic value and health benefits.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Pros and Cons of Dong Quai