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Written question asked by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 21 October 2025 (named day). It was answered by Ashley Dalton (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 October 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Low Alcohol Drinks

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to support growth in the no and low alcohol market.

Answer

In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government has committed to tackling harmful levels of alcohol consumption by exploring options to encourage consumers to reduce their alcohol intake by substituting standard strength drinks with no- and low-alcohol (NoLo) alternatives.

One of the first steps to support further growth of the NoLo sector, and potentially increase the range of NoLo products, will be to explore raising the upper alcohol limit for drinks labelled as alcohol-free to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) from 0.05% ABV, whilst providing clarity to consumers and producers. At the same time, we will explore measures to regulate access to NoLo products in line with other alcoholic beverages, including prohibiting sales to individuals under the age of 18 years old.

Alongside the plan, a large, multi-year National Institute for Health and Care Research study is underway to examine the public health impacts of NoLo products, and we look forward to the findings of that study being available in the coming year.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
82267
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Low alcohol drinks
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk