Alaska's Homemade Food Rule covers non-alcoholic beverages including kombucha, fresh juice, soda, and specialty drinks. Whether your beverage is classified as shelf-stable or potentially hazardous determines where and how you can sell it.
Beverages fall under the same two-tier system as food under Alaska's Homemade Food Rule (AS 17.20.332). Non-potentially hazardous beverages — those that are shelf-stable at room temperature — enjoy the widest sales channels, including through third-party retailers. Potentially hazardous beverages — those that require refrigeration — must be sold direct-to-consumer by the producer only.
The classification depends on the same factors as food: pH and water activity. Most beverages have high water activity by nature, so the key differentiator is usually acidity. Highly acidic beverages (pH ≤ 4.6) like vinegar-based shrubs may qualify as non-PHF, while fresh juices and many fermented drinks are typically classified as PHF.
Kombucha is specifically addressed in Alaska's DEC homemade food guidance. It's a fermented tea drink produced using tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast, sometimes with additional flavoring. The DEC classifies kombucha as either PHF or non-PHF depending on the specific product's characteristics.
To determine your kombucha's classification, you'll need to test your finished product's pH and water activity. A kombucha with pH at or below 4.6 and water activity at or below 0.85 may qualify as non-PHF (shelf-stable). Most kombucha is acidic enough but has high water activity — so the classification can go either way depending on your recipe and fermentation process.
Use the DEC's Determining Non-Potentially Hazardous Foods resource to classify your product.
Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are explicitly listed by the Alaska DEC as processed fruits and vegetables — and they are classified as potentially hazardous foods. This includes carrot juice, green juice, fruit juice blends, and any juice made from fresh produce.
Fresh juice must be sold directly by the producer to the consumer. You cannot sell it through third-party retailers, food hubs, or agents. Online and mail-order sales within Alaska are permitted, but you'll need to maintain cold chain during delivery.
Juice that has been processed to be shelf-stable (through methods like pasteurization that bring the product to commercial sterility) may qualify as non-PHF, but this requires testing to confirm.
Homemade soda and carbonated beverages are allowed under Alaska's Homemade Food Rule. The DEC lists soda among the types of beverages that can be sold as homemade food. Most sodas are shelf-stable due to their sugar content and acidity, making them non-potentially hazardous.
As a non-PHF product, homemade soda can be sold through the widest range of channels — direct, online, at farmers markets, and through third-party retailers acting as agents of the producer.
Shrubs (fruit-infused vinegar syrups) and drinking vinegars are vinegar-based products that typically have very low pH, well within the non-PHF classification. Vinegar itself is explicitly allowed under Alaska's homemade food rule, and vinegar-based beverages follow the same classification.
As with all products, if you're adding ingredients that could raise the pH or water activity into PHF territory (like fresh fruit puree or dairy), test your finished product to confirm its classification.
Lemonade, flavored waters, and similar beverages made with fresh citrus or fruit are typically classified as potentially hazardous because they contain fresh juice and have high water activity. Even though lemonade is acidic, the combination of fresh ingredients and high moisture usually places it in the PHF category.
If your lemonade or flavored water is PHF, you must sell it direct-to-consumer only. Consider testing your product's pH and water activity to confirm — some highly concentrated or preserved formulations might qualify as non-PHF.
Cold brew coffee and brewed tea concentrates are not specifically called out in Alaska's DEC homemade food guidance, but they fall under the general framework. Cold brew coffee typically has a pH around 4.8–5.1 (above the 4.6 threshold) and high water activity, making it likely PHF. Brewed tea similarly tends to fall in the PHF range.
If classified as PHF, cold brew must be sold direct-to-consumer only and kept refrigerated. Some producers acidify their cold brew (adding citric acid) to bring pH below 4.6 — if you do this, test to confirm the classification change.
Alcoholic beverages cannot be produced or sold under Alaska's Homemade Food Rule. Foods and drinks containing alcohol are excluded from the homemade food exemption. This includes beer, wine, spirits, hard cider, hard seltzer, and any beverage with intentionally added alcohol.
Producing alcoholic beverages for sale in Alaska requires a separate license from the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC Board). This is an entirely different licensing path from the homemade food exemption — see our Special Categories guide for more information.
Fermented beverages like kombucha naturally produce small amounts of alcohol during the fermentation process. This creates a gray area that Alaska home beverage makers need to navigate carefully.
Under federal law (enforced by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB), any beverage containing 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) or more is classified as an alcoholic beverage and is subject to federal alcohol regulations, including licensing and labeling requirements. This threshold applies regardless of state law.
Commercially sold kombucha must stay below 0.5% ABV to remain classified as a non-alcoholic beverage. Many home-brewed kombuchas can drift above this threshold, especially during secondary fermentation or when fruit is added. If your kombucha exceeds 0.5% ABV, it crosses into alcoholic beverage territory and falls outside the homemade food exemption.
Best practice for kombucha producers: Monitor your fermentation carefully. Consider testing your finished product's ABV periodically. Keep fermentation temperatures consistent and controlled. If you consistently stay well below 0.5% ABV, you can confidently sell under the Homemade Food Rule. If you want to make higher-alcohol kombucha, you'll need to explore alcohol licensing.
Alaska's statute excludes "food containing alcohol" from the homemade food exemption. While this clearly covers added alcohol (spirits, wine used as an ingredient), the application to trace fermentation byproducts in kombucha at levels below 0.5% ABV is less explicit. The safest approach is to keep your product below the federal 0.5% ABV threshold and monitor regularly.
Alaska's Homemade Food Rule does not impose specific bottling or packaging requirements beyond the labeling rules. There are no mandates about bottle types, cap styles, or container materials. However, practical considerations matter for safety, quality, and customer confidence.
For shelf-stable beverages (soda, shrubs, vinegar drinks): Use clean, food-grade bottles or jars with secure closures. Glass bottles with crown caps, swing-top lids, or screw caps work well. Make sure containers are properly sanitized before filling.
For refrigerated beverages (fresh juice, kombucha, cold brew): Use containers that can be kept cold during transport and storage. Label clearly with refrigeration instructions. For carbonated products like kombucha, use pressure-rated bottles designed for carbonated beverages to prevent dangerous over-pressurization.
For all beverages: The required label must be affixed to packaged products, including your name, address, phone number, business license number, and the mandatory Alaska disclaimer statement.
Safety note for carbonated beverages: Over-carbonation can cause glass bottles to shatter. Use bottles designed for pressure (like flip-top or champagne-style bottles) and leave adequate headspace. Refrigerate carbonated products promptly after secondary fermentation to slow CO₂ production.
| Beverage | Classification | Third-Party Retail | Online (Within AK) | Key Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kombucha (pH ≤ 4.6, aw ≤ 0.85) | Non-PHF | Allowed | Allowed | Stay below 0.5% ABV |
| Kombucha (pH > 4.6 or aw > 0.85) | PHF | No | Allowed | Direct-to-consumer; stay below 0.5% ABV |
| Fresh Juice | PHF | No | Allowed | Refrigerate; direct-to-consumer only |
| Homemade Soda | Non-PHF | Allowed | Allowed | Use pressure-rated bottles |
| Shrubs & Drinking Vinegar | Non-PHF | Allowed | Allowed | Vinegar-based; test pH if adding fresh fruit |
| Lemonade / Flavored Water | Likely PHF | No | Allowed | Test pH/aw to confirm; refrigerate |
| Cold Brew Coffee | Likely PHF | No | Allowed | Test pH; refrigerate |
| Alcoholic Beverages | Prohibited | No | No | Requires ABC Board license |
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