- Pro-Palestinian campus protests spread to UK universities
- Olympic flame arrives on French soil for Paris Games
- 2023 'year of record climatic hazards' in Latin America: UN
- UK says to expel Russia defence attache for intel role
- Korda seeks LPGA record sixth win in a row at Founders Cup
- Head, Abhishek star as 'unreal' Hyderabad crush Lucknow by 10 wickets
- McIlroy won't return to PGA Policy Board, Simpson to stay
- Brazil flooding death toll reaches 100
- Kenya inks deal to end doctors' strike
- EU eyes first ever sanctions on Russia's LNG sector
- RFK Jr says doctor told him a worm ate part of his brain: US media
- Track cycling star Benjamin Thomas escapes to win Giro 5th stage
- Osaka wins in Rome after three-year absence
- F1 champions celebrate life of motorsport great Stirling Moss
- US revokes some licenses for exports to China's Huawei
- Ukraine lawmakers back bill allowing prisoners to join army
- Kenya health ministry says deal signed to end doctors' strike
- Suspect held in latest attack on German politicians
- Ex-England cricketer Panesar quits as UK parliamentary candidate
- EU queries X over cut to content moderation resources
- Chad opposition candidate's party condemns 'threats and violence'
- Remastered Beatles movie 'Let It Be' gets long-awaited re-release
- Dortmund, Bayern runs put Leverkusen title in perspective: Alonso
- Flood-hit Kenya reports dozens of cholera cases
- Nadal welcomes unusual role of underdog
- Hong Kong demands online platforms remove banned protest song
- Prince Harry in London, but not meeting King Charles
- Spain prosecutors seek to close Shakira tax fraud case
- Hope dwindles in S.Africa 48 hours after deadly building collapse
- Tunisian Olympic champion Hafnaoui raises doubts about title defence
- BMW says EU probe into China EV subsidies against free trade
- Dozens of cholera cases reported in flood-hit Kenya
- April temperatures in Indonesia hottest for more than four decades
- China's Xi welcomed with 'respect and love' in Serbia
- Israel pounds Gaza as truce talks resume
- What a feet: Viral Dutch artist paints 10 pictures at once
- Ukraine warns of outages after 'massive' attack on power plants
- Bubbling profits for AB InBev despite Bud Light boycott
- AstraZeneca withdraws Covid vaccine as demand dives
- Ukraine suffers new wave of attacks on infrastructure
- US long jump legend Lewis sees little scope for progression
- Palestinian symbol protest clouds Eurovision contest
- Sangakkara backs Samson as India keeper for T20 World Cup
- Spain struggles to stamp out drug trade in poor south
- Japanese auto giant Toyota posts record net profit
- Malaysia plans to introduce 'orangutan diplomacy': minister
- Table-topping Hurricanes beef up for Super Rugby showdown in Auckland
- Rubbish, climate change help boost Portugal's white stork numbers
- Europe's 'Swifties' await icon with open arms
- Israel launches fresh Gaza strikes as negotiators work towards truce
CMSC | -1.62% | 24.12 | $ | |
GSK | -0.07% | 44.12 | $ | |
AZN | 0.79% | 76.925 | $ | |
SCS | 0.43% | 12.755 | $ | |
BCC | 2.57% | 134.12 | $ | |
CMSD | -1.15% | 24.34 | $ | |
NGG | 0.44% | 69.93 | $ | |
RIO | -1.61% | 68.93 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.1% | 56.25 | $ | |
BTI | 0.56% | 30.14 | $ | |
RYCEF | 2.16% | 5.325 | $ | |
BP | -0.27% | 37.48 | $ | |
JRI | -0.26% | 11.565 | $ | |
RELX | 0.13% | 42.945 | $ | |
BCE | 0.56% | 33.648 | $ | |
VOD | -0.24% | 8.47 | $ |
Olympic deal shows bubbling market for zero-alcohol beers
For the first time this summer, as sportswomen and men strive for victory in Paris, spectators will be able to sip the official beer of an Olympic Games.
But the tipple won't go to their heads: it will be the alcohol-free version of the popular Mexican brand Corona.
The breakthrough sponsorship deal, inked by Belgian-Brazilian beer giant AB InBev, is just the latest sign of the fizzing market for zero-alcohol brews.
"All brewers are moving towards alcohol-free or low-alcohol beverages," Krishan Maudgal, director of the Belgian Brewers Association, told AFP.
That's the case even in Belgium, where the centuries-old brewing heritage is recognised by UNESCO and the alcohol percentage in beers made by Trappist monks can reach double digits.
"Twenty or 30 years ago it was more a case of increasing the alcohol content, but now we've reversed the trend and are lowering it," Maudgal said.
Against a backdrop of declining beer consumption -- down by 40 percent in 20 years in Belgium -- he says producers are "listening to the market" and adapting to drinking habits that have become more responsible.
"Among consumers there is a trend in favour of moderation and well-being, this trend is happening everywhere," said Andres Penate, one of the vice presidents of AB InBev, the world's largest brewer.
"It's more towards drinking better, drinking less, not about not drinking," he said.
As proof, the brewer -- which also makes Stella Artois, Budweiser and Leffe -- will double production of its Corona Cero beer at its Belgian plant this year compared to last.
- Big business -
Zero-alcohol beer has been around for decades, but was long derided as a watery version of the real thing.
But as the market has grown, brewers have upped their game and spent big on making their products more palatable.
According to drinks market analyst IWSR, the market for non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks, including wine, cider and spirits, is now worth over $13 billion worldwide.
Beer is by far the most popular product among "alcohol-free" fans.
In Europe alone, non-alcoholic beer is worth $3 billion a year, and sales are growing steadily, with Spain and Germany leading the way.
In France, "consumer interest in non-alcoholic beers has been growing for five to ten years, and this is now a fundamental trend", said Magali Filhue, from the country's brewers' association.
Sales now represent around five percent of the beers sold in French supermarkets.
While that percentage remains low, the market is growing steadily.
That's a bright spot for global brewing giants that have been struggling in recent years.
The Covid pandemic, an energy crisis and inflation have strained the sector, with sales dropping off as consumer spending power has declined.
Last year, AB InBev's net profit slid by six percent amid a drop in beer sales volumes, particularly in the United States.
Meanwhile, number two Heineken of the Netherlands this week reported a "difficult and uncertain" outlook for 2024.
D.Schneider--BTB