News
Does low/no alcohol labelling lack clear information?
31 Mar 2023It’s a booming beverage sector but without definitive rules on labelling, low- and no- alcohol drinks need to avoid misleading consumers to maintain confidence, say experts.
In 2022, the low/no alcohol space’s value exceeded $11 billion (€10.3 billion), drink market analysis firm, IWSR reported. With the sector expected to grow one third by 2026, the category’s popularity and development continue to rise.

Currently, low/no-alcohol products are categorised based on their alcohol by volume (abv) rate. There are four core categories of beverages in the low/no-alcohol consumption market: low alcohol, non-alcoholic, alcohol-free, and de-alcoholised.
With low alcohol products, the drink must be 1.2% abv or below, and an indication of its maximum abv should be included on the label.
“’Non-alcoholic’ should not be used in conjunction with a name commonly associated with an alcoholic drink,” says Dr Lilla Bessenyei, research and operations executive at Brand Relations. There is an exception for non-alcoholic wine, which is derived from unfermented grape juice and is intended exclusively for communion or sacramental use. The labelling or advertising of these non-alcoholic wines should make it clear that it is exclusively for such use.
Alcohol-free should only be applied to a drink from which the alcohol has been extracted if it contains no more than 0.05% abv. The products should also include the abv (or state that they contain no alcohol) on the label to use the correct descriptor, Dr Bessenyei adds.
In guidance, the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) states that drink manufacturers and marketers need to be careful not to mislead consumers by implying a product contains no alcohol if it does.
De-alcoholised is a term that should only be applied to a drink from which the alcohol has been extracted if it contains no more than 0.5% abv. The product must also indicate its alcoholic strength (or state that it contains no alcohol).
Consumers may not be aware of these distinctions. Yet, what is clear is that purchasing is up. During the pandemic, low/non-alcohol shoppers fell by 6.3%, but spend-per-consumer increased, Brand Relations found. Those consumers who remained in the category bought more low/no-alcohol items, as purchasing products grew by 14.9% and consumers bought 7.2% more per shop.
Amid this rise in low/no-alcohol popularity and increased spend, manufacturers can build trust and confidence with consumers by providing clear ingredients and nutritional information to ensure their contents meet consumer expectations. Education is crucial for producers, retailers, and consumers to maximise the belief and ongoing uptake in low/no alcohol drinks.
© AdobeStock/New Africa
However, legislation has not yet caught up with consumers’ consumption patterns and information regarding what is alcohol-free remains guidance. In the UK, rules on descriptors set out in the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 were revoked in December 2018. Subsequently, the UK Government has published guidance, which has since remained, resulting in a lack of legally binding labelling stipulations.
Health is the leading influence
Among consumers, motivations to limit or reduce alcohol intake are strongly linked to health and wellbeing. The core influences of choosing low/no alcohol options over their alcoholic counterparts are to improve health (47%), manage weight (38%), save money (34%), and reduce the risk of disease (25%), beverage marketing company, Brand Relations, said in a market research report.
Producers must give the complete list of ingredients and nutritional information for soft drinks, including calories and sugar levels – but not for alcoholic drinks.
“But alcohol doesn’t need to state anything that they add to the products, even preservatives or the ingredients they use,” says Richard Horwell, managing director of Brand Relations. “Some of the gins are so full of sugar it is ridiculous, and no one knows.”
Yet, once these manufacturers make non-alcoholic spirits, they must declare the ingredients. From products mimicking gins, vodkas, and rums to whisky and tequila–the low/no alcohol counterparts are recommended to feature clear communication and comply with industry advice.
Since the pandemic, the healthiness of alcoholic drinks, measured by their calories and sugar, for example, has become more of a concern to 36% of drinkers and buyers of white spirits and ready-to-drink (RTDs) products, Brand Relations said in its report.
A growing trend in the low/no alcohol space is the idea of the ‘less but better’ mindset. Consumers subsequently look for premiumisation and products seeking to address health and weight management concerns.
With health and wellbeing making their way into three of the top four reasons driving consumers towards low/no alcohol, front-of-pack labelling, and product contents provide vital information influencing purchasing decisions.
Related news

Value is a top priority for today’s F&B consumers
3 Apr 2025
Research from global consultancy Hartman Group suggests there are six core values that brands must tap into to connect with consumers’ needs.
Read more
Future F&B flavours favour exploration and explosive taste profiles
25 Mar 2025
Exploration and experimentation will define the future of flavour, according to Mintel, as consumers seek out taste profiles and textures that offer an adventurous eating experience.
Read more
Global consumers enjoy food less and perceive it as less healthy
20 Mar 2025
Enjoyment of food and its perceived healthiness is dwindling among most global populations, according to findings from Gallup and Ando Foundation/Nissin Food Products.
Read more
Plans to abandon mandatory Nutri-Score labelling ‘would be a step back’
17 Mar 2025
Critics have slammed reports that mandatory Nutri-Score labelling is to be abandoned as “a step back” that puts citizens’ health at risk.
Read more
Coca-Cola enters the prebiotic soda category
12 Mar 2025
Coca-Cola is leaning into nostalgia and the growing popularity of “gut-healthy” sodas to launch a line of prebiotic sparkling beverages.
Read more
Is the price of a sustainable and healthy diet… unsustainable?
4 Mar 2025
Healthier foods are more than twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy foods, with healthier food increasing in price at twice the rate in the past two years.
Read more
Does calorie labelling lead to reduced consumption?
27 Feb 2025
Calorie labelling of food products leads to a small, but consistent, reduction in the number of calories consumed, a study suggests.
Read more
Brands, retailers, and countries remain divided over Nutri-Score labels
30 Jan 2025
Europe's supermarkets and manufacturers are far from aligned over a standarised approach to nutrition labelling. Some welcome the non-mandatory Nutri-Score labels with open arms, while others have “considerable concerns”.
Read more
EU Parliament passes stricter packaging rules
20 Jan 2025
The European Parliament voted to approve updates to the packaging and packaging waste regulation, including enforceable re-use targets, limits on certain single-use packaging types, and restrictions on the use of PFAS “forever chemicals”.
Read more
Louis Drefyus Company powers on in plant-based with BASF ingredients acquisition
17 Jan 2025
BASF has agreed to sell its food and health performance ingredients business to Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
Read more