UK: Society of Independent Brewers calling for expanding limit on alcohol-free beer
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) is calling on the UK government to expand the limit on alcohol-free labelling to 0.5% abv products.
In the UK, beer can only be labelled no alcohol or alcohol-free if it contains an abv of 0.05% or less. Products labelled low alcohol must be 1.2% abv or below.
But the SIBA said achieving 0.05% abv is an expensive process that makes it difficult for small independent breweries to enter the low-and-no market.
It comes as last month the UK government launched a consultation on labelling.
It proposed to raise the threshold for an alcohol-free drink to an abv of 0.5% to make alternatives to alcoholic drinks more widely available and popular.
Andy Slee, SIBA CEO, said: For small independent breweries, NoLo is a fledgling sector and our members are increasingly looking to add new innovative low alcohol beers to their range but are hindered by confusing labelling guidance and the barriers to accessing the market.