- Controversy Over Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer at Work
- The Growing Market for No/Low Alcohol Beverages
- Legal Experts’ Opinions on Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beverages at Work
Recently, actress Kristen Bell revealed that she occasionally allows her young daughters to consume non-alcoholic beer. She said, “Judge me if you wish; I’m not doing anything wrong.” Nonetheless, the Internet had much to say about it. And it made us ponder…
You’re typing on your laptop in your office cubicle when you hear your neighbour open a can.
Instead of an ice-cold Coke or a gut-friendly kombucha, they are imbibing a beer. On closer inspection, it’s alcohol-free, but it’s still a malty, hoppy beverage.
This is credit control, which may be acceptable if you work in a brewery or an office with a ping-pong table and Beer Fridge Fridays. Tuesday is today. It is 10:30 a.m. Is this strange? Will your supervisor have a word with you?
What if you are an educator? Or perhaps a hospital? Where are the pilots of a Boeing 747? Could you drink a can of Guinness 0.0 while delivering a presentation to the division of corporate strategy and business mergers on the sixth floor?
A conversation about whether or not this is appropriate – let’s return to this later – prompted discussion of other situations that could get you fired, detained, or at the very least frowned upon.
Some workplaces may need to contemplate this issue. The market for no-alcohol and low-alcohol beverages is booming as more people seek means to reduce their alcohol consumption.
International Wine and Spirit Research’s analysis of “key markets” such as the United Kingdom and the United States revealed that the market value of no/low alcohol products will surpass $11bn (approximately £8.64bn) in 2022, up from $8bn (approximately £6.8bn) in 2018. According to the charity Drinkaware, sales of alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer, cider, wine, and spirits have multiplied in the United Kingdom over the past five years.
Outside of the office, alcohol-free alternatives are gaining popularity in the pub, at dinner, and in other social contexts. If there’s not enough alcohol in a glass of milk or a pint of beer to get us drunk, what’s preventing us from working?
Here is what legal experts have to say:
“It is not illegal to consume a non-alcoholic beverage on the job,” says Andrew Willis, associate director of legal at employment law specialists Croner. “The company’s stance will ultimately determine whether it is acceptable or not.”
The issue is comparable to that of vaping, he notes, as the increase in people using the cigarette alternative has prompted many employers to update their policies.
“If employers do allow non-alcoholic beverages in the workplace, they must consider how they will monitor what their employees are drinking, given how similar the bottles and cans look to alcoholic beverages,” he continues. “Many employers may determine that it is a problem they can do without and, as a result, decide that it is unacceptable.”
Melanie Stancliffe, a partner and employment law specialist at the law firm Cripps, says that as the prevalence of alcohol-free alternatives rises, employers are “waking up” to the fact that they may need rules in place.
She says that if the counter staff at a high street bank displayed a non-alcoholic beer instead of a coffee mug or a glass of water, there would be different perceptions, but the law wouldn’t inherently be different. “An employer’s policies that outline what is permitted must be crystal clear about what is expected.”
Are those alcoholic bananas? The alcohol content of your typical munchies
Government recommendations in England state that alcohol-free beverages may contain up to 0.05% ABV (alcohol by volume) – therefore, a 500ml can of a 0.05% ABV beverage would contain 0.025ml of alcohol or one-fourth of a unit of alcohol.
As this is only a voluntary guideline and not a law, some alcohol-free beverages can contain up to 0.5% ABV, so 500ml can contain 0.25 units. Bread, fruit juice, yogurt, healthy kombucha, and even bananas contain trace amounts of alcohol, more than alcohol-free brews in some cases.
Dr. Duane Mellor, a dietician at Aston University in Birmingham, explains, “Alcohol can form naturally in foods as sugars decompose into ethanol.” This can form in foods such as bananas as they ripen, but only at extremely low concentrations of 0.5%. The yeast interacts with the starch in the flour to produce alcohol during the proving phase of breadmaking; although the majority of this dissipates during baking, some bread may contain trace amounts.”
Pilots, physicians, educators, and law enforcement – what are the rules?
It appears that perception is everything. No one will complain if you drink orange juice on the job, but while it may be lawful to consume alcohol-free beer or wine on the job, in certain situations it would likely not go over well.
According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations, the pilot accompanying you on your summer vacation cannot fly while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and there are additional restrictions regarding consumption before duty.
There is no CAA regulation regarding alcohol-free beverages, but airlines may have their policies to avoid confusion.
Have a procedure? How would you feel if the surgeon was drinking alcohol-free lager during the operation? Due to the risk of contamination, most hospitals prohibit food consumption of any kind in operating rooms. Alcohol is prohibited, but water and other fluids are permitted.
It would be considered inappropriate for NHS employees to consume non-alcoholic ales, wines, or spirits while on duty, as employees are expected to uphold professional standards. However, it appears there is no UK-wide regulation. And if it won’t make you inebriated, why do we feel this way?
