Consumers are increasingly reaching for non-alcoholic drinks

Consumers, looking to either reduce the amount of alcohol that they drink or to excise it from their diet entirely, are reaching for alcohol-free versions of beverages, according to a report published by Innova Market Insights. This change in drinking behaviours is most evident on the front of Gen-Z, with almost a third of those in the 18 to 25 age bracket saying that they never consume alcohol.

People are happily reaching for non-alcoholic beers and spirits, with 4% of drinks sold in those sectors being alcohol-free. That number almost doubles for the flavoured alcoholic beverages market, with 7% of those drinks being free from alcoholic content. Analysis shows that products launching in these sectors have been increasingly popular in the last five years.

Alcohol removal is also becoming a viable option for manufacturers, with large brands such as Guinness and Freixenet offering products that have gone through a removal process. These brands claim that their products are identical in all aspects but have had their alcoholic content completely removed, which can prove interesting to those who do not want to compromise on the quality of the products that they enjoy.

Consumers are also enjoying beverages with lower levels of alcohol. Hard seltzers, with low percentages of alcohol content, are popular and other brands are readying versions of soft drinks that have a low-alcohol content, such as PepsiCo’s Hard Mtn Dew and a rumoured alcoholic version of Rockstar.

With such a large proportion of young people interested in beverages that are either low in or free from alcohol, the industry is obviously adjusting to a market that is interested in trying products that cater to their specific desires. While such a market is still a minority one, beverages that do fit into the low-/no-alcohol sectors are proving to be popular for consumers.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Rawpixel.com