Understanding the emergence, availability and consumption trends of no and low alcohol (‘NoLos’) beverage products:
Call for papers for Drug and Alcohol Review Special Section
Aim: The goal of this Special Section of Drug and Alcohol Review is to provide empirical evidence on the following for NoLos:
● Emergence of NoLo products, product availability and accessibility, and market characteristics;
● Patterns of purchase and consumption, broader contexts (social norms, industries), and drivers of purchase and consumption;
● Potential for harm reduction and potential for harms from consumption; and
● Policy options to control availability/reduce harms.
Guest editors: Belinda Lunnay; Mia Miller; Cassandra Wright; Molly Bowdring; Niamh Fitzgerald
Background:
No and low alcohol beverage products (aka ‘NoLos’) have been available for decades but in recent years have become a rapidly growing global market. They have entered outlets (licensed and non-licensed), market segments (young people, people who are pregnant, people living with alcohol use disorder) and contexts (underage events, athletic performance supplements, wellness influencer lifestyles) not previously seen. Many NoLos have the same branding as an alcoholic drink but can be marketed where (and to whom) advertising of an alcoholic drink is not allowed. They are thus potentially a tool for increasing marketing of alcohol brands. On the other hand, they are a potential alternative drink for those seeking to cut down their alcohol intake. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported that between 2016–19, the proportion of ex-drinkers increased from 7.6% to 8.9% [1]. While the impacts of NoLos on the level of alcohol consumption are unclear, the ISWR global drinks market analyst stated sales of NoLos increased by 83% in the 12 months following Australia’s initial COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and were predicted to increase by a further 24% by 2024[1]. Reports from 2020 showed the NoLo sector witnessed significant growth globally [2] including in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Spain, the UK and US. There was a 6% growth in Australia. While that growth is modest, the IWSR predicts the NoLo market will increase again by 8% between 2021 and 2025, in contrast to the modest estimated growth of 0.7% for conventional alcohol products during the same period[2].
The World Health Organization’s (2023) snapshot report ‘A public health perspective on zero- and low-alcohol beverages’ identifies a need to ‘monitor Nolo consumption and impact on aggregated alcohol consumption to understand the public health implications’ see: A public health perspective on zero- and low-alcohol beverages (who.int). It identifies deficits in knowledge concerning the acceptability (marketing, labelling), availability (consumers, target market segments, locations) and affordability of NoLos – knowledge required to respond with policy and regulation recommendations (pricing, taxation, addressing marketing loopholes through regulation and bans). There are also symbolic practices attached to NoLos which have been used by corporate actors within the alcohol industry and also the wellness, health, tourism sectors, which may have varying implications for harm and entail conflicts of interest.
Public health debates concerning whether NoLos reduce harms hinge on their use as ‘tools’ for moderation and/or abstinence. Debates concerning whether present potential risks include that they potentially reinforce alcohol consumption norms, expectations and practices rather than address cultures of intoxication. There are also concerns that NoLos expose alcohol brands to children through availability in markets previously not occupied by alcohol (e.g., supermarkets in Australia); and that they channel revenue made by alcohol companies, as many products are part of alcohol the portfolios of alcohol companies. There are also nuances in understandings of factors that impact the potential to reduce or increase harms through NoLos – for example, the use of NoLos to support moderation may have differential impact among individuals in recovery compared to among social drinkers.
The expanding market of NoLos and differences in product composition, labelling, availability, acceptability, and target markets globally and in relation to different sub-populations of consumers, means up to date evidence is needed to inform timely policy responses. There are also differences across contexts and geographies that can be learned and shared.
This Special Section will bring together evidence about the use of, and evidenced benefits or risks presented by, NoLos in different national contexts that can directly inform policy and regulation concerning the availability, pricing, and marketing of NoLos. We also welcome evidence that will inform guidance on use of NoLos in clinical treatment of high-risk alcohol consumption.
This call extends from the NoLo International Research Network convened by Guest Editors Mia Miller and Cassandra Wright and discussions at a meeting of the Network at KBS, Perth May 2024. The Network comprises researchers across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US, Asia, Canada and Europe, including the other named Guest Editors.
Given the substantial gaps in knowledge about the impact of NoLos for increasing or reducing harm, and the current research interest in this area, this Special Section aims to bring together key emerging evidence on NoLos within and across research groups globally. Specifically, we welcome papers with empirical data from any country/region on:
- Data that characterises the emergence of NoLo products, product availability and accessibility, and market characteristics;
- Data reporting/analysing the marketing and advertising of NoLos (e.g., analysing strategies used by industries [alcohol and others] to promote the consumption of NoLos, studies on how NoLo marketing impacts use outcomes);
- Attitudes and action of teenagers below the legal drinking age and of teenagers’ parents concerning underage teenagers’ consumption of NoLo beverages with alcohol brands and packaging,
- Data reporting and exploring patterns of purchase and consumption and links with social, commercial and political determinants of health (tactics used by for-profit industries), and the drivers of purchase and consumption among particular population groups (young people, people who are pregnant; abstainers/people seeking to reduce their ethanol intake) with implications for harm/benefit and policy.
We welcome papers from different disciplines however they must report on empirical studies and be aimed at a public health audience (i.e., advancing public health scholarship and/or policy). Papers that describe product development from an agricultural or food science perspective, or those that are aimed at advancing the alcohol or NoLo sector (for example, wine producers) are out of scope. Please contact the editorial office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you have a particular proposal you wish to discuss.
Details:
This is an open call for papers. The submission deadline for a 1-2 page letter of intent for the Special Section is 20 December 2024. The letter of intent should include proposed author names and affiliations, manuscript title and an abstract that outlines the proposed submission. Abstracts should clearly convey how the proposed manuscript is relevant to the aims of the Special Section. Editors will advise authors of the outcome of the EOI by 31 January 2025.
Manuscripts will need to align with the Drug and Alcohol Review author guidelines and broadly adhere to DAR word length guidelines. Manuscripts will need to be submitted via the Research Exchange submission portal: https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/DAR. and will be subject to peer review by at least two independent reviewers. Papers that do not meet the standard of the journal may be rejected.
When submitting their paper, authors should select the appropriate manuscript type (e.g. Original Paper, Review) and respond to the Special Issue question with “Understanding the emergence, availability and consumption trends of no and low alcohol (‘NoLos’) beverage products”.
Authors are asked to submit their papers by June 2025. Papers will be published online as they are accepted after peer review, and eventually made available together as a special section in an issue of the journal.
Please direct any queries to the Editorial Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
References
AIHW. National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2020.
- Corfe S, Hyde R, Shepherd J. Alcohol-free and Low-strength Drinks: Understanding Their Role in Reducing Alcohol-related Harms, Social Market Foundation, London. 2020.
[1] IWSR- No- and Low-Alcohol Gains Share (theiwsr.com)
[2] No- and low-alcohol category value surpasses $11bn in 2022 - IWSR (theiwsr.com)