Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Primary Care and
Public Health (Neil O'Brien): This Government set out in the
2019 Green Paper, Advancing our health: prevention in the
2020s, commitments to work with industry to deliver a
significant increase in the availability of alcohol-free and
low-alcohol products by 2025 and to review the evidence to
consider increasing the alcohol-free descriptor threshold from
0.05% ABV up to 0.5% ABV, in line with some other countries in
Europe. We remain committed to this goal, and I am proud to
announce that on 28 September we launched a public consultation,
"Updating labelling guidance for
no and low-alcohol alternatives - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a
new tab)", on updating our labelling guidance for no and
low-alcohol alternatives.
Reducing the harms associated with excess alcohol consumption
remains a priority for this Government. As of 2021, approximately
10 million, or 1 in 5 adults in England drank above the UK Chief
Medical Officer’s low risk drinking levels, significantly
increasing their risk of health problems.
Making alcohol-free and low-alcohol products more available will
increase consumer choice. It will help to promote the options of
lower strength alternatives to consumers, and changing the
alcohol-free descriptor threshold in non-statutory guidance could
support further innovation in the sector. We are seeking views on
this potential change, as well as a number of other potential
changes to Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) voluntary
guidance on labelling of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products,
to provide greater consistency for producers, retailers and
hospitality, and clarity for consumers.
DHSC will consider which, if any, changes should be made to the
guidance following the consultation to support its policy aim to
reduce excess alcohol consumption and associated harm among
people who regularly drink above the UKChief Medical Officer’s
low risk drinking guidelines.
I encourage all those with an interest – the alcohol industry,
public health organisations, and consumers themselves – to share
their views with us through responding to this important
consultation.
