Choosing drinks without alcohol

It's important to know what is meant by alcohol free. This is particularly so for people who avoid alcohol for religious reasons or those on certain medications which create a severe reaction to even the smallest alcohol content.

Government regulations control what terms can be used. The rules that control how we label drinks according to their alcohol content are different in the UK from the rest of Europe.

In the UK there are strict regulations that split drinks into specific categories:

Non- alcoholic: contains no alcohol at all (0.0%)
Alcohol-free: contains 0.05% alcohol or less
De-alcoholised: contains 0.5% alcohol or less
Low-alcohol: contains more than 0.5% but no more than 1.2%

On the Continent the rules are not so complicated. All drinks with up to 0.5 per cent alcohol are regarded as alcohol-free.

To put this into context, an ordinary glass of fresh orange juice can naturally contain up to 0.5% alcohol. Malt vinegar you put on your chips is about 0.2% alcohol.

For more information on non alcoholic beer, de-alcoholised and alcohol free drinks, visit The Alcohol-Free Shop at www.alcoholfree.co.uk.