A stark warning has been issued to UK households purchasing non-alcoholic beverages, as new research reveals that many 0% alcohol drinks now carry price tags as high as, or even higher than, their boozy equivalents.
The Price of Going Alcohol-Free
According to a report highlighted by The Guardian, shoppers can now find sparkling non-alcoholic wine priced at an eye-watering £85 a bottle. Furthermore, so-called 'fake spirits' available in supermarkets have surpassed £25 per bottle.
The comprehensive analysis was conducted for the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (Sarg), a team of public health experts based at the University of Sheffield. The study meticulously compared the cost of standard alcoholic drinks with their no- and low-alcohol alternatives across different retail environments.
What the Research Found
The findings were revealing. In supermarkets and off-licences, the average price paid for a litre of no- or low-alcohol beer was found to be 5% higher than for standard beer. This price disparity was even more pronounced in pubs and restaurants, where no/lo beer was 25% more expensive.
The trend continued with cider. No- and low-alcohol cider was 10% more expensive in the off-trade and 9% more expensive in the on-trade compared to its alcoholic version. The only category that bucked the trend was 0% wine, which was cheaper across the board. For spirits, prices were lower in supermarkets but higher in pubs.
Industry Strategy and Health Concerns
Professor John Holmes, director of Sarg, expressed significant concern about the implications. He stated, “If no/lo products are only taken up and used by people in higher socioeconomic groups, then those people might enjoy better health outcomes.”
He warned that this pricing strategy is “widening the health inequalities already associated with alcohol.” Professor Holmes suggested that the industry has made a deliberate choice to market these products as premium alternatives. “The industry seems to have made a deliberate decision that the no/lo drinks are versions of the premium products,” he said. “They seem to have made a choice not to associate alcohol-free beer with the cheaper brands.”
Defending the pricing, Rhiannon Williams, head of marketing at Pentire, explained the production costs. “Unlike soft drinks, which are often made from concentrates or cordials, we work with whole plants and run small-batch distillations to capture delicate, natural flavours,” she said. “This process is time-intensive and requires specialist equipment and expertise, much like traditional spirit-making.”
