Heineken misleading public on no alcohol beer

Posted on August 26, 2024 in Heineken, Manipulation, Mexico

Heineken Mexico are framing the expansion of their range of non-alcoholic products as an effort to ”reduce alcohol consumption, especially among young and minors”. There is no evidence that non-alcoholic beer contributes to reducing alcohol consumption. On the contrary, non alcoholic beers can be used to avoid marketing restrictions, and may contribute to a further normalisation of alcohol among young people.

In 2023, the World Health Organization released a brief on no- and low alcohol content products. The brief shows that the evidence generally is limited regarding the effects of these products on public health, and notes that there is no evidence to support the alcohol industry claim that marketing and selling these products will decrease overall alcohol consumption.

While some studies argue that NoLos may help individuals move away from higher alcohol content products, other studies argue that NoLos further normalise alcohol, especially in environments where alcohol has not been present before and may promote the “taste for alcohol”, particularly among populations for whom consumption is particularly risky.

Inadequate regulation and the lack of clear definitions in many countries mean that NoLos presently comprise a broad spectrum of products, ranging from 0% to 3.7% alcohol by volume (ABV). “Alcohol-free” products may in some markets contain up to 2.8% ABV and low-alcohol products could contain between 0.05% and 3.7% ABV.

Labelling and marketing of NoLos are not properly regulated, inconsistent across countries, and leave gaps and loopholes for alcohol companies to conduct alibi marketing and to mislead consumers. The availability of NoLos can potentially drive consumer choice and consumption and normalise alcohol use – serving as gateway products.

NoLo alcohol products get a lot of attention from the alcohol industry. This interest can hardly be explained purely by revenue from these products. Market research show that the alcohol market in 2023 was worth 1,600 billion USD. The NoLo market was during the same year worth less than 1% of the alcohol market (13 billion USD).

Manipulation is Big Alcohol’s activity to control its image. The alcohol industry engages in manipulation activities to protect and cultivate their image and the values of their brands. Deploying manipulation strategies serves for Big Alcohol to appear as “good corporate citizens”. The focus of the DUBIOUS FIVE strategy of manipulation is the alcohol company, their brands and value. Examples are Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), green-washing, pink-washing, rainbow-washing, or white-washing activities.

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Heineken misleading public on no alcohol beer

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