BBPA “disappointed” by ruling on low and no-alcohol products

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has announced that it is “bitterly disappointed” by the UK government’s decision not to change the descriptors for low and no-alcohol products, following a consultation carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care (DoH).

The consultation was launched earlier this year, as the current labelling regulations for low and no-alcohol drinks were due to expire on 13 December 2018, and the process aimed to establish whether the current regulations resonate with consumers and the industry.

Under the current rules, drinks produced in the UK can only be labelled as ‘low alcohol’ if they have an ABV below 1.2%, while ‘alcohol-free’ products must be 0.05% ABV or lower, and anything with an ABV of 0.5% should be labelled as ‘de-alcoholised’.

However, many beers produced in Europe and imported to the UK can be labelled as alcohol-free if they have an ABV of 0.5%, due to labelling regulations in other European countries.

On 12 November, the DoH sent a notice to industry figures claiming that there was ‘no compelling new evidence’ to suggest that the descriptors needed to be changed.

The BPPA claims that this creates a “perverse situation” where beers of the same strength are labelled in a different way, misleading consumers and putting British brewers at a disadvantage in the growing low and no-alcohol segment.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “It is bitterly disappointing that the Department of Health has missed this opportunity to give consumers greater clarity when it comes to the labelling of low alcohol beers.

“Changing the current definition of ‘alcohol-free’ beer from 0.05% ABV to 0.5% ABV – as we suggested during the consultation process – would have brought the UK in line with the rest of Europe and other global markets.

“This creates the perverse situation whereby beers at 0.5% ABV produced in Europe can be sold in the UK as “alcohol-free”, but British brewers brewing at the same strength must label their beer differently. This is discrimination and will create confusion for consumers.

“Whilst we have already seen significant growth in the low alcohol beer sector, the Government has failed to implement changes that would enable Britain’s brewers to further innovate and promote lower strength drinks to stimulate this growth further.

“A decision by the Australian Government to introduce tax reductions for ‘lighter’ beer has already led to growth of such beers to occupy 25% of the market there.

“Sadly then, this decision by the UK Government represents a missed opportunity to provide a similar incentive here and gives no encouragement to those seeking to moderate their alcohol consumption.