This newsletter contains:

• News from Calif. on updated kava regulations
• Video from the Solomon Islands on ‘Inside the Tanoa’ series
• Recap of 2026 State of Kava address

Calif. Health Dept. Clarifies Kava Regulations

On Feb. 3, the California Department of Public Health’s guidance on kava was revised to clearly define traditionally prepared kava (i.e. steeped solely in water) as a single-ingredient beverage, as opposed to a food additive.

“This update provides long-needed guidance for consumers, businesses, and regulators alike,” Douglas La Rose, the KC’s executive director, said in a press release. “For more than a year, the Kava Coalition has worked closely with kava bars across California to petition for clear guidance, and the state has now provided that clarity.We also consulted extensively with Pacific Islander communities, who were deeply concerned about California’s position on kava as a conventional food. Traditional kava preparation has profound cultural significance and a long history of safe use, and we are encouraged to see California’s guidance now clearly reflect that reality.”

Kava in the Solomon Islands, Ep. 4 of ‘Inside the Tanoa’

Episode 4 of ‘Inside the Tanoa,’ a series taking viewers into the kava communities across the world, takes place in Solomon Islands, where farmers, families, and community leaders explore the cultural roots of kava, the traditions that sustain it, and the realities of growing and exporting kava in one of the Pacific’s most important regions.

Solomon Islands (pop. 820,000) consists of six major and more than 1,000 smaller islands in Melanesia, to the north-east of Australia. The country became independent from the U.K.’s occupation in 1978.

State of Kava 2026

The KC’s Douglas La Rose and Michael Louze of Pacifikava hosted a one-hour talk on the biggest trends shaping kava in the U.S. and abroad, like:

• The rapid growth of kava bars across the U.S., and their regulatory landscape.
• Production disruptions, supply chain challenges, and improvements in quality and standards.
• Emerging opportunities for producers, businesses, and communities.

Visit our website at kavacoalition.org