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.