New Report Highlights Key Features of the No and Low Alcohol Drinks Market

The first of a new series of reports into no and low alcohol drinks was published today (15 January 2024).1  These reports aim to help the government and health organisations better understand the role the beverages could play in improving public health. 

The first of its kind report, produced by researchers at the University of Sheffield, provides an in-depth insight into the consumption and sales of beers, ciders, wines, spirits and ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs) such as alcopops and pre-mixed drinks containing less than 1.2 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV). 

The new report, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR,) revealed that, in 2022, one-third of adults consumed no/low drinks at least once in the last year. Of these, more than half consumed them more regularly, with 18 per cent of adults drinking no/low alcohol drinks at least once a month, and 10 per cent at least once a week.

One in four risky drinkers consumed no/low alcohol drinks at least once a month compared to one in five non-risky drinkers and six per cent of non-drinkers.  People in higher social grades were also more likely to consume no/low drinks regularly than those in lower social grades. 

No/low drinks could lead to large reductions in alcohol-related harm if people drink them instead of standard alcoholic drinks. However, the report highlights a number of challenges which policy makers need to consider, including the cost of no/low drinks which remain more expensive than standard alcoholic beverages. 

Lead author of the report, John Holmes, Professor of Alcohol Policy at the University of Sheffield, said: “It’s good to see evidence that risky drinkers are trying no/low alcohol drinks. However, no/low drinks are often relatively expensive. That’s a problem because alcohol causes the most harm among more deprived groups.  If those groups can’t afford no/low drinks, it might mean we see only small improvements in public health.”

Other findings in the report show the products are increasingly popular in the UK, with sales growing to £221m in 2021, this figure has continued to rise. The government is committed to encouraging this trend as a central part of its public health policies.

The proportion of alcohol sales accounted for by no/low alcohol drinks is also rising and was 1.06 per cent of total alcohol sales volume and 0.60 per cent of sales value in 2021. 

This proportion was higher in the off-trade (i.e. shops and supermarkets) than the on-trade (i.e. pubs, restaurants and nightclubs). It was also higher for no/low beer which dominates the no/low drinks market, accounting for 77 per cent of total no/low sales volume. 

The report also showed that a small number of brands dominate the no/low market at the moment. The three best-selling no/low beer brands in the off-trade accounted for 48 per cent of all no/low beer sales by volume in 2021 and the 10 best-selling brands accounted for 76 per cent.

A total of 98 per cent of no/low beer sales in the off-trade come from products that share branding with a normal alcoholic drink, such as Heineken 0.0 and Heineken.  This raises important questions for policy makers.  

Fellow author of the report, Dr Luke Wilson from the University of Sheffield’s School of Medicine and Population Health, said: “No/low drinks from well-known brands might be encouraging people to try these less risky products, but this shared branding might also harm public health by promoting normal alcoholic drinks.”

The report, funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme, is the first in a series of annual reports the researchers will publish between 2023 and 2026.

Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of NIHR’s Public Health Research Programme (PHR), said: “This report gives reason for cautious optimism that no and low alcohol drinks are genuinely being consumed as substitutes to higher alcohol alternatives.  But as the authors acknowledge, no and low alcohol products remain relatively expensive. Hopefully prices will fall over time as technological advances in the alcohol industry reduce the production cost. I look forward to seeing other findings in due course.”

1 The University of Sheffield will publish an updated report containing data to the end of 2023 in summer 2024.  It will then update the report annually. 

2 RTDs are ready-to-drinks, a collective term for alcopops and pre-mixed spirits.