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Frequently Asked Questions

The product page shows whether a product is available from Coles, Woolworths or independent supermarkets. The Where to buy page displays local stores near you that stock PureHarvest products. Not all stores stock the full range of PureHarvest products so we suggest calling ahead to your specific stores. If you are still having difficulty finding a product you are looking for we encourage you to request your store gets those products in, or contact us for other options.

Individual stores can often be out of stock, or discontinue stocking some products, without our knowledge. It is best to contact that store directly to work out the reason that your favourite product is no longer available. Alternatively you may be able to find another local store on our Where to buy page that stocks the product.

Unfortunately we do not have the facilities set up to sell directly to individuals. Check our Where to buy page to find a local store that stocks our products. Alternatively you can contact one our of distribution partners in your state and they may be able to sell to you directly or advise you of a nearby store that stocks our range.

For purchases in Australia, we will happily refund the full price and any postage incurred for any unsatisfactory product. Please contact us directly and we will arrange it for you. Please include the product batch details (5 digit number next to the best before date) and any comments about the product issue.

For purchases outside of Australia please return the product to store. For further assistance, please contact us directly and our customer service team will assist you.

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.

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.

Check our Careers page for any current openings or send your resume and cover letter to info@pureharvest.com.au and we will keep it on file if any relevant positions become available in the future.

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.

Currently we only pack our milks into one litre packets and there are no immediate plans to pack our milks into different sizes.

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.

All of our plant milks are heated during the manufacturing process for a short time. They are then cooled, chilled, and finally ultra-heat treated (UHT) to high temperatures for a very short time. This process combined with the specific packaging makes the products shelf stable and not require refrigeration when unopened.

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.”

Yes, every shipment of rice we receive is tested for heavy metals including arsenic. The test results are always well under the level accepted (1mg/kg) by FSANZ (Food Standards Australia and New Zealand).

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.

We do not use sulphur or any other chemical in the production of our products.

No, all of our packaging is BPA free.

No, we do not use carrageenan in any of our products.

All of our products are certified organic by the Australian Certified Organic (ACO) body. The ACO standards specifically cover the protection of animal welfare and unjust exploitation of fauna. Independent auditors regularly visit all of our suppliers farms & sites to ensure these standards are being met.

Our suppliers also implement their own strict “No Monkey” policy throughout their farms. Only legal human adult labour is used in the harvesting of the coconuts we source for PureHarvest products.

All of our imported materials are certified by internationally recognised organic standards. This means the entire supply chain including our own manufacturing facility and supplier farms are audited multiple times a year by independent auditors who enforce organic standards. Organic, sustainable farming is something PureHarvest has supported for over 40 years – we even financed and set up the first organic rice crop in Australia back in 1983!

 

 

We strive to source our ingredients from Australia whenever possible. When ingredients are unavailable locally we source them from various suppliers overseas. Because of changes due to availability we do not always source our ingredients from the same location, and recommend you get in contact with us directly if you have a query about a particular product or ingredient.

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.

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