Shift to non-alcoholic drinks was underway even before new health guidelines

Some Canadians have been mulling — or dismissing — new guidelines suggesting that people dramatically reduce the amount of alcohol they drink, but players in Canada's alcohol industry say a shift toward lower or non-alcoholic beverages already began a few years ago.

"I really think now it's becoming a movement," said Mitch Cobb, CEO of Upstreet Craft Brewing in Charlottetown. "I think that people are becoming very conscious of their health and wellness."

Cobb expects the trend to continue, and the numbers back him up.

Market research firm Nielsen IQ says in the United States non-alcoholic beverages are seeing double-digit sales growth, with sales up more than 20 per cent in 2022 over the previous year. And market and consumer data provider Statista is predicting an 8.4 per cent increase in the volume of non-alcoholic beer sold in Canada next year.

Andrew Sookram, owner of Sookram's Brewing Company in Winnipeg, said in the next five to 10 years the market share for non-alcoholic beers globally is projected to grow even more than craft beer.

These numbers were increasing well before the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) released new guidelines this month suggesting that consuming even a small amount of alcohol — more than two drinks a week — can put people at an increased risk for certain types of cancer.

The guidelines could give another push to the industry, experts say.

"I think we've known for a long time that alcohol isn't good for us, it isn't good for our health," said Cobb, who was spurred to create Libra, a non-alcoholic beer, after his own experience with wanting to limit how often he drinks. 

"After a couple of years of being in the beer industry, it was really sort of starting to take a toll on my health," he said.

Since Libra launched in 2020, Cobb said there's been significant interest across the country and "really strong demand" in the Maritimes. 

Richard Alexander, Atlantic vice-president of Restaurants Canada, says many restaurants are adapting to the trend.

"That's how the industry survives, and you're seeing healthier items come onto menus and non-alcoholic drink options — so it's a change in the industry, but it's a change that's been happening a while and this will just accelerate it," Alexander said.

The Newfoundland Liquor Corporation, which imports and distributes booze throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, is among those making changes.

In a statement, the corporation says it's started to stock products with lower or no alcohol, noting millennials and Generation Z have different perceptions of drinking than older generations.