In the market for alcohol-free beverages, «0.0%» does not necessarily mean what everyone thinks: that drink does not contain a trace of alcohol.
As the demand for beer and other alcohol-free drinks increases rapidly, the questions of what is really behind the indications are increasing. «without alcohol», «non-alcoholic» and «0.0%». In several cases, products addressed to consumers who choose to abstain from alcohol may contain small quantities, which has caused reactions from both consumers and industry operators.
The debate has now been transferred to the U.S. courtrooms, with consumers denouncing misleading advertising. At the same time, industry representatives ask companies for more accuracy in their claims and the withdrawal of wording indicating a complete absence of alcohol when this cannot be proven.
«When you assume a drink has no alcohol, and then you find it contains a minimum amount, it makes sense to take over unexpectedly.», notes Marcos Salazar, CEO of the Unalcoholic Drinks Association (ANBA) in WSJ.
What consumers say
«Do you drink beer without alcohol?» asked a user in Reddit, an online forum for pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant. Some responses reported a strict ban by their physicians on the protection of the fetus, while others noted that they consume these drinks with the consent of their therapist.
Similar concern prevails among donors and transplant recipients. Tim Savoy began drinking alternative beers about a year after the liver transplant to which he was subjected in 2022, due to alcohol cirrhosis. Today he consumes one or two bottles almost daily. Doctors have warned 36 - year - old about traces of alcohol, stressing that the total amount plays a decisive role.
Savoy, who lives in Washington and works in the charity sector, knows that many in the transplant community misjudge any contact with alcohol. He considers non-alcoholic beer a much better choice than normal, while his regular blood tests show that his liver is working normally.
«If this changes, I'll reevaluate the situation immediately.», declares himself.
The friction point
The production process for alcohol-free drinks varies. Some companies completely omit fermentation, the natural process of producing alcohol, mixing herbs and spices in hot water before distillation. Others control fermentation, dilute the recipe or remove alcohol with techniques such as vacuum distillation and filtering.
However, traces of alcohol may remain. Their complete elimination requires costly additional treatments, which some in industry avoid, claiming to alter the taste.
«It takes a lot of extra processing to reach absolute 0.0%», explains Bill Schufeld, co-founder and CEO of a large non-alcoholic beverage production company in the United States. «There's a huge cost that works as an obstacle.».
The company writes in its boxes that the content contains less than 0.5% alcohol due to current legislation. However, Sufeld argues that this difference leaves the vast majority of consumers indifferent. He also notes that the most popular category labels in the US contain less than 0.5% alcohol and not zero.
«Consumers don't look for it, and if they do, they don't care enough to change brands.», reports Sufeld.
Market executives point out that buyers of non-alcoholic beverages often also consume normal alcoholic beverages, which proves that most do not fully abstain. At the same time they argue that certain foods, such as bread or ripe bananas, contain the same or greater amount of alcohol traces.
Controversy around definitions
Non-alcoholic beer, drinks and wine sales in the US increased by 14% in the 12 month ending July 18, according to NielsenIQ figures. The category knows unprecedented flourishing at the time traditional alcohol sales are stuck, with non-alcoholic beer sales touching nearly $235 million in the quarter ending June 27.
Regulatory authorities set clear limits: drinks marked «without alcohol» They must contain no trace of it. Those containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume are classified as «Non-alcoholic».
Some companies use terms such as «0% alcohol» or «Zero-proof» concurrently with the term «non-alcoholic», leaving the fine letters to clarify the few traces of alcohol. Marcos Salazar from ANBA stresses that some marketing strategies are based on this very loose terminology, a tactic he wants to stop.
The association, representing giants advises its members to give up allegations of «zero alcohol» in products containing even traces. «We recommend the term 'non-alcoholic' because we do not want to confuse consumers.»Salazar explains.
Some consumers have already appealed to justice. Federal lawsuit filed in Louisiana in 2021 argued that Heineken USA misled the public by promoting Heineken 0.0 as a alcohol-free product, although it contained less than 0.03%.
The case was settled extrajudicially in 2022 and the company continues to sell the product. Known beer brand stated that the composition had been checked by the competent Bureau for Taxation and Trade Alcohol and Tobacco (TTB), approved as «without alcohol» and has not changed since its launch in 2017.
The absolute zero
Large brands claim they have achieved absolute zero. A company that sells cocktails and alcohol-free drinks, announced that it reduced its product content from 0.4% to 0.0%, when market research found that consumers were confused by traces of alcohol.
However, public health experts warn that scientific data on the effects of these beverages remain limited.
Although polls show that these drinks help reduce total alcohol consumption, Molly Bowdring, a Stanford University Medical School researcher, notes that she knows only one randomized test. This study, financed by the alcohol industry, showed that alternatives reduce total consumption in heavy pies.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warns that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Similar instructions have been issued by the American Society for the Study of Liver Diseases, recommending that those suffering from liver diseases avoid non-alcoholic beverages altogether.
«The issue remains open to those who buy these products», ends up Bowdring.
