The Rise of Low- and No-Alcohol Drinks: Progress or Inequality?
Summary
Despite a marked increase in the availability and sales of low- and no-alcohol products in Great Britain, their overall market share remains minimal. Moreover, access to these products appears socially patterned, with greater availability in more affluent and rural areas. This raises important questions about whether emerging “healthier” drinking trends are benefiting all groups equally, or reinforcing existing health inequalities.
Citation: Valiente R et al. Low and no alcohol availability and sales in small retailers in Great Britain: A geographic longitudinal analysis from 2018 to 2022. Addiction. 2026 Mar 19. doi: 10.1111/add.70391. Online ahead of print.
Introduction
This month’s search found this interesting paper from the Universities of Edinburgh and Sheffield, UK. With a backdrop of changing attitudes to alcohol and increasing recognition of the harms caused by alcohol, the authors set out to see if sales of low or no alcohol drinks (No/Lo drinks) had changed in the UK over the period 2018-2022. Their focus was on small UK neighbourhood retailers (what we in the UK commonly call ‘off-licenses’) and the study measured differences in the availability and sales of No/Lo products in small retailers across neighbourhoods with varying levels of socioeconomic deprivation and urbanicity (these being known factors in associated risk of alcohol-related harms).
Findings
Their findings based on approximately 11.3 million alcohol transactions across 1,432 small retailers were that No/Lo sales volume tripled over the study period yet accounted for only 0.25% of total alcohol sales by 2022. In 2018, 34% of retailers reported sales of No/Lo products, rising to 68% by 2022. Retailers in low-deprivation and rural areas were more likely to sell No/Lo products and sold a wider product range compared with those in high-deprivation areas.
Conclusion
The authors concluded that while alcohol-free and low alcohol product availability and sales increased among small retailers in Great Britain between 2018 and 2022, these gains have been uneven, with greater access and uptake in more affluent and rural areas. This suggests emerging geographic disparities in access to and sales of No/Lo alternatives and their potential benefits or harms.