More people could be encouraged to purchase alcohol-free drinks in pubs, restaurants, and shops under government proposals aimed at making alternatives to alcoholic drinks more popular and widely available.
A public consultation launched yesterday will seek views on whether to raise the threshold for describing a drink as ‘alcohol free’ to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). This is in line with other countries around the world, including the USA, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Portugal, and Belgium. The threshold in the UK is currently 0.05%.
A higher threshold could result in more no and low-alcohol products on the market – increasing availability in retail and hospitality and expanding product ranges, giving consumers more options. It is thought that this could encourage more people to choose an alcohol-free or low-alcohol drink to make healthier choices, moderate alcohol intake, and normalise alternatives to alcohol.
The potential changes could also drive the productivity of businesses, help remove red tape, and allow them to more easily manufacture these drinks to benefit from the multi-billion-pound alcohol-free drinks market.
Public Health Minister Neil O’Brien said: “No and low alcohol drinks are getting more and more popular, and we are looking to further support their growth. Many other countries around the world already allow more freedom over this. Liberalising labelling guidelines could also help people make more informed choices about the drinks they buy.
“We want to encourage the growth of no and low alcohol alternatives for those looking to moderate their alcohol intake.”
The government is also seeking views on whether to update labelling guidelines so that manufacturers display the alcohol percentage on any no or low- alcohol product clearly on the bottle.
Marcos Salazar, CEO of the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association, said: “As the no and low-alcohol category continues to grow and provide greater choice for consumers looking to reduce their alcohol consumption, it is essential that there is consistency between the UK, European, and other international markets in terms of labelling.
“The Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA) welcomes the Department of Health and Social Care’s decision to launch this consultation today, and will continue to work closely with the government to help support its aims of increasing the availability of alcohol-free products for consumers.”
Emma McClarkin OBE, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, added: “The BBPA has been calling on Government to review low alcohol descriptors for many years. We welcome proposals to align the low alcohol descriptors with those of nearly all other global markets. This will create a fairer trading environment for British brewers and pub operators, stimulate innovation and growth in the low and no alcohol category and provide much-needed clarity for British consumers. Labelling of low alcohol drinks must be relevant and clear, and not risk confusing consumers.”
