Row brewing over ‘healthy’ Carlton Zero beer ad

A brewing giant has outraged health groups over a marketing campaign which encourages people to ditch soft drink and instead drink alcohol-free beer at work.

A brewing giant is marketing alcohol-free beer as healthier than soft drink and encouraging people to drink it at work.

An aggressive new advertising campaign for Carlton Zero has outraged health groups who say efforts to further normalise alcohol as a part of everyday life has wider health impacts than sugar.

The ad is due to hit television screens later this week during AFL and NRL match broadcasts.

It features two male office workers at lunch. One has a bottle of non-alcoholic beer with a salad, while the other pours a can of sugary cola.

The promotion claims Carlton Zero contains “10 times less sugar than a regular soft drink”.

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Fitness fanatics Mizz Barkes and Angela Nguyen take a break from exercise to try the zero alcohol Carlton Zero. Picture: David Caird

Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education chief executive Michael Thorn said marketing a beer product was ramping up efforts to “groom the next generation of drinkers.”

“Pushing this beer brand into the health consumer market is deliberately deceptive, and is completely unacceptable and irresponsible,” Mr Thorn said.

“This beer product is virtually indistinguishable from full-strength beer, with the same logos, branding and packaging.

“This is a veiled push to market alcohol brands to kids. Alcohol is an addictive, carcinogenic drug and is the major contributor to teenage deaths through intentional injury, homicide and suicide.”

The ad features two male office workers at lunch. One has a bottle of non-alcoholic beer with a salad, while the other pours a can of sugary cola.

Carlton & United Breweries CEO Peter Filipovic said the company’s first non-alcoholic beer had outstripped sales expectations since its launch last September.

Market research has found it is particularly popular with drinkers aged 25 to 34 with fit and active lifestyles, and an interest in running and endurance sports such as bike rides and triathlons.

CUB says the product is brewed using the same methods and ingredients as its other beers to ensure it tastes like beer. The alcohol is removed at the end of the brewing process by reducing the pressure on the beer to separate the alcohol.

Melbourne captain Nathan Jones tries Carlton Zero when it was launched last year. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Despite being alcohol-free, Carlton Zero was marketed to adults in strict accordance with the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code, it said.

Mr Filipovic said: “Drinkers have been crying out for a non-alcoholic beer that actually tastes like beer. Adults want alternatives to sugary soft drink …”

“It’s giving people the freedom to enjoy their favourite drink in places where beer is not usually consumed. There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy Carlton Zero at lunch time at the office or if you are a designated driver.”

A can of Carlton Zero has 2.3g of sugar.

Health groups have previously raised concerns about a product that looks, smells, tastes and is packaged like normal beer being available in supermarkets for purchase by children.

Women comprise 41 per cent of Carlton Zero’s market, compared with 37 per cent for alcoholic beers.

Low, mid-strength and no-alcohol beers now make up a quarter of CUB sales.

Rival Heineken has an alcohol-free lager, Heineken 0.0.

Bottle shop sales of non-alcoholic beer leapt 13-fold in the six months after Carlton Zero’s launch compared with the same period a year earlier.

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@KarenCollierHS