The Mainstreaming of Moderation
The London Financial Times published an editorial on August 24 reporting that “Abstemious Generation Z is helping to boost no- and low-alcohol drinks.”
They note that, globally, sales of alcoholic drinks have fallen, and that no-alcohol beverages are where much of the growth is today. Specifically, research group IWSR reports:
US no-alcohol volumes jumped 29 per cent, and global no-alcohol beer volumes grew 6 per cent in 2023, wine 7 per cent and spirits 15 per cent. Growth in no- and low-alcohol drinks is expected to be roughly five times that of total alcoholic beverages in 2023-28.
Indeed, a recent paper from IWSR attributes the popularity of no-alcohol beverages in the States to Millennials:
In April 2023, 45% of no-alcohol beer consumers in the US were Millennials; by April 2024, that figure had risen to 61% – far ahead of Gen X at 22% and legal aged Gen Z at only 7%. Similar participation rates are reported for no-alcohol spirits (66% of consumers are Millennials) and no-alcohol wine (59%).
IWSR attribute this to an increase in social activity enabled by significant improvement in Millennial finances, with a taste for both full-strength and no-alcohol drinks, noting “Almost half of Millennial no-alcohol consumers are classed as ‘substituters’ – in other words, those who drink no-alcohol products on some occasions, and full-strength on others.”
Additionally:
Millennials are curious about the no-alcohol category, displaying a keenness to trial new products across the no-alcohol spectrum – and this willingness to experiment is likely to drive further category growth as consumption rates continue to grow.
As for Millennials, so for Gen Z. IWSR reports:
When asked in April 2023, 54% of Gen Z legal drinking age (LDA) adults in the US say they have not consumed an alcoholic beverage in the past six months, compared to 37% of the total LDA population.
The FT notes that an increasing number of young people see drunkenness as simply uncool. And while kombucha is not mentioned, younger generations look to functional beverages to improve their sense of well-being:
…many young people are turning to cheaper, less hangover-inducing alternatives including cannabis (Gallup says use almost doubled in 18- to 34-yearolds in the US in the past decade) or other soft drugs, or “functional” drinks. These may be infused with CBD oil, or adaptogens or nootropics — plants or mushrooms said to deliver effects such as reducing inhibitions.
The FT editorial writer closes with a nod to their older readers who might well recall enjoying a three-martini lunch and wonder what the world is coming to:
Where might this all end? Epicureans of a certain age may lament — out of earshot of Gen-Z offspring — that taking alcohol out of alcoholic drinks seems part of a continuum that began with taking caffeine out of coffee, fat out of fatty foods and sugar out of sugary drinks. It has spread to taking (cow’s) milk out of milk, sausages out of sausage rolls and indeed meat out of meat. Yet if those who, for medical, lifestyle or ethical reasons, have to limit consumption of such products can enjoy alternatives delivering similar taste sensations, that is surely positive.
Surely even more positive are the benefits of embracing the infinite possibilities of kombucha, jun, and fermented foods in general.