NEWS
JAPAN’S LOW-ALCOHOL MARKET EXPANDED QUICKLY TO REACH USD3.8B
By Susan Lewis
10-8-2021
Credit: Kwon Youn/Unsplash
Sales of low-alcohol beverages in Japan grew 70 percent compared to 2013, reaching a value of 419.1 billion yen (USD3.8billion) in 2020, European Food Agency News quoted research firm Intage as reporting.
Leading Japanese alcoholic drinks manufacturers are introducing a range of low-alcohol products to meet the fast growing demands from the health conscious young Japanese consumers.
Drinks giant Asahi Breweries last month officially launched Beery, a line of beer-like beverages with 0.5% alcohol content. The line had recorded strong sales, especially between twenty and thirty year olds.
One of Asahi’s competitor, Sapporo Breweries, will launch The Drafty, a beer-inspired, malt-based drink with 0.7% alcohol in 35 cl cans for the domestic market in September.
While leading Japanese wine producer Mercian Corp will launch later this month “Bon Rouge”, a red wine with an alcohol content of 6%, which is about half of that of a normal wine.
The Japanese government approved a plan to promote measures against alcohol-related harm in 2016, which urged the alcoholic beverage industry to clearly indicate the alcohol content on bottles and cans.
Japan’s major alcoholic drinks producers - Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory -responded promptly by stating alcohol contents in grams on the labels of their main products.
Since the start of the pandemic, Japan’s state of emergency policy involved banning restaurants and bars from serving alcohol, more consumers started drinking at home and quite a few of them order low-alcohol alternatives out of health considerations.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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