Study shows people will choose low-alcohol options

Making alcohol-free beer more available on draught in pubs and bars may help people switch from alcoholic beer, a study has shown.

A group of 14 pubs and bars across Bristol temporarily changed the drinks they offered.

The study was carried out by Bristol City Council and the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (TARG) of the University of Bristol.

It found that when an alcohol-free option was available, venues sold 51 fewer alcoholic pints on average.

This was replaced by an equal increase in sales of the non-alcoholic options.

There was no impact on the money earned by the pubs, which indicates it did not leave them worse off, the study found.

None of the venues had previously offered alcohol-free beer on draught.

Dr Angela Atwood, associate professor of TARG said: "This does not restrict consumer choice; in fact, it increases the options available to the customer, and at the same time could reduce population levels of alcohol consumption and improve public health."

The team, writing in the journal Addiction, said: “Introducing a draught alcohol-free beer in bars and pubs in England reduced the volume of draught alcoholic beer sold by 4% to 5%, with no evidence of the intervention impacting net revenue.”

Alcohol can lead to weight gain and addiction to the substance has been linked to several types of cancer including mouth, oesophagus, bowel.

Matt Lambert, health, information and promotion manager at the World Cancer Research Fund said it was "encouraging" to see that offering alcohol-free beer led to consumers making "healthier" choices.

However, he added: "Just like with alcoholic drinks, the sugar and calories in alcohol-free options can vary.

"That’s why it’s best for your health if you opt for smaller sizes – so, rather than a pint, choose a bottle or have a half-pint."