Frequently Asked Questions
One of our commitments is to reducing our waste and using recyclable material wherever possible. We prioritise glass, cardboard & paper materials over plastic. Please look for the recycling symbol on our individual products for clarity.
For our non-dairy milks in particular it can be more complicated…
To enable a 12 month stable shelf life, our milks undergo the UHT process (ultra-heat treatment) and must be packaged into an aseptic carton (CombiBloc by SIG). The aseptic carton is made from a combination of cardboard, foil & a plant-based polymer lining. Currently there are no other packaging options (i.e. glass, cardboard, plastic) that enable the products to be long life & shelf stable.
Each individual component of the packaging is 100% recyclable as long as it is separated out. Unfortunately, at the moment there is limited ability to recycle these packages in Australia due to changes in the recycling industry. Please check with your local council to see if they currently collect & recycle this type of carton.
We are constantly looking for ways to improve our packaging sustainability and we are a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant, the Australasian Recycling Label Program and the REDcycle program. We are working with your packaging and recycling network to improve recycling options and are expecting further recycling options for these cartons to become available in the future. We recommend anyone passionate about recycling to engage with their local members, councils and governments to push the agenda of furthering recycling projects in Australia forward.
Occasionally our plant milks can separate, curdle or coagulate. This can be due to the interaction of enzymes within the product that haven’t been disabled by the UHT process and the acidity levels of what the milk is mixed with (e.g coffee). Other manufacturers of plant milks add unnatural additives such as emulsifiers or preservatives to address this issue, however our commitment to natural, organic ingredients means we choose not to use additives of any kind.
Separation is a quality issue and not a food safety issue, the product should be completely safe to drink and should not cause any illness. If a product has degraded and gone off it will be apparent by off smell and taste, this is most commonly caused when the packaging or cap is damaged during transportation.
In either case if you are unsatisfied with your purchase simply contact us for a replacement or refund.
Enriched with natural plant calcium (aquamin):
Non-enriched plant milks:
The calcium source we use in our milks is calcified seaweed commonly marketed as Aquamin. This is a natural and organic plant-based source of calcium. The raw material is a unique red seaweed from the Lithothamnion Corallioides species. It is not only a source of calcium but a source of magnesium, iron, selenium and 73 other trace minerals, promoting improved bone health. The nutrients in Aquamin are highly bioavailable – in other words the body easily absorbs the nutrients. Aquamin is sustainably harvested off the coast of Iceland.
As we have a wide range of products, each with different ingredients, we recommend you view our individual product pages for allergen information. In addition, as a rule no peanuts are allowed onsite at our production warehouse.
Tamper evidence on our milk products is provided by the cap being attached to the base of the pouring fitment by 3 breakable ‘legs’. These ‘legs’ are broken when the pack is opened. The twist action of the cap also rotates a cutting ring in the pouring fitment which cuts and moves the foil seal out of the way. This is why you do not see a foil seal when the cap is removed. If a pack is opened and re-sealed the ‘legs’ on the caps will not line up again. If the cap is made to line up so that it looks like the seal is not broken, the pack will leak if inverted and spill when if the pack is picked up and squeezed.
Our commitment to whole, organic ingredients and minimal processing means ALL of our products are made from whole foods – not powders, isolates or flours. This means our Soy Milks are made from whole organic soy beans.
Our Organic Almond Milks are made from whole activated almonds. Whole organic almonds are soaked with the skins on. We do not completely remove all the skins and therefore ‘pink’ colour is generated by the natural tannins present in the remaining skins. The colour is released during the process of making the milk. The strength of colour depends upon the amount of tannins released and this can vary from batch to batch.”
We do not add cane sugar to any PureHarvest product. Our Organic Almond Milk Original & Organic Soy Milk Original both have a small amount of Rice Syrup added for a touch sweetness. Rice Syrup is 99.5% fructose free and is made from 100% whole brown rice.
All of our other plant milks are unsweetened products. Any sweetness in the product occurs naturally during the manufacturing process from the raw ingredient starches (e.g oats, rice) converting to maltose, a complex sugar that can, under guidance, be consumed by diabetics and people on ‘low sugar’ diets.
Oats naturally contain gluten so unfortunately our Oat Milks are not gluten free. The gluten in oats is only a small amount and it is a different kind of gluten to that found in wheat, rye & barley so some people who are typically gluten free may not react to oats.
Yes, our Rice Syrup is gluten free.
We do gently heat and filter our organic honey, but never above 45°C.
No, all of our packaging is BPA free.
No, we do not use carrageenan in any of our products.
Our soy sauce products are produced in Anshan in northern China, directly opposite the Korean Peninsula, in co-operation with a company there that produces traditional soy sauce in the Japanese method (a liquid brewing system that ferments the product for up to a period of nine months) using whole soybeans and natural Koji starters.
We began working with this company in the early 1990s and have had them certified organic through the European Ecocert agency, as well as helping developing their HACCP and quality control programs. We have been continually working with them since this time and visit them at least twice a year to oversee manufacture.
Their certification and growing practices are independently audited by European third party agencies on a yearly basis. They are a small business not aligned with any large corporation and their organic soybeans are sourced from the surrounding region from small farmer co-ops. Our business relationship is based on a fair trade policy.
