Health drink lands Sydney mother in court with blood alcohol reading more than five times the limit

The hidden dangers of a popular health-drink have been revealed after a Sydney mum tested more than five times over the legal alcohol limit, landing herself in court.

Natasha Jansen, 49, fell asleep at the wheel of her Mercedes outside a sports complex in Northbridge, in north Sydney, during school pick-up on July 23, 2024.

Police were called after Jansen’s nap caused a long line of cars to build up outside the complex, and she was given a breath test.

Jansen returned a reading of 0.243, more than five times the legal limit, before being taken back to a local police station where she returned another reading of 0.193.

She was slapped with a high-range drink-driving charge and faced Hornsby Local Court on Monday.

However Jansen was found not guilty and her charges were dismissed, with her lawyer arguing that a Grants liquid chlorophyll drink she had been consuming had combined with her reflux condition to produce an inaccurate reading.

The court was told Jansen drunk two 500ml bottles of Grants liquid chlorophyll while she waited in the school pick-up line.

On its website Grants claims the drink helps to “cleanse the body tissues of impurities and toxins and improves energy and wellbeing”.

It can be bought from major supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths as well as health food stores.

The court was told Jansen regularly drunk chlorophyll but usually purchased different brands, the Daily Telegraph reported.

She had only bought Grants when the other brands she usually purchased weren’t available.

Jansen’s lawyer Michael Bowe said the mother didn’t realise that Grants chlorophyll contained 5.4 per cent alcohol.

Ethanol is listed as the last ingredient in the drink. The alcohol is commonly used to extract chlorophyll from plants.

Neuropharmacology expert Professor Macdonald Christie told the court after consuming 1000ml of chlorophyll Jansen should have returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.12 or less, putting her below the 0.15 threshold for high-range drink-driving.

However when asked by Bowe whether Jansen’s breath tests may have been inaccurate if her reflux condition caused her to regurgitate the chlorophyll into her mouth, Christie said it was possible.

The breathalyser readings could have been showing the alcohol content in Jansen’s mouth, instead of in her bloodstream.

Christie also told the court that footage from police body-worn cameras did not show Jansen exhibiting signs of a person with 0.2 blood alcohol level.

She was able to stand on her feet without help and was not slurring her words.

Jansen explained that she had fallen asleep in her car because she hadn’t slept well the night before.