Heineken slashes Foster’s lager power after responsibility adjustments and market pressures
The brewer said dropping the lager’s strength from 3.7% to 3.4% would allow customers to ‘benefit from more competitive pricing as inflationary pressures continue to affect the wider market’
Heineken UK has announced plans to reduce the strength of its Foster’s lager in order to capitalise on duty savings for weaker beers. The brewing company stated that lowering the lager’s strength from 3.7% to 3.4% would enable customers to “benefit from more competitive pricing as inflationary pressures continue to affect the wider market”.
It further explained: “This follows the introduction of differential duty rates by the UK government, which encourage brewers to innovate at lower ABV ( alcohol by volume) rates in support of customers wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption.”
The adjustment, set to take effect from February, would also assist pubs and retailers with a “competitively priced classic lager”, it said. Foster’s ABV was previously reduced from 4% to 3.7% in January 2023.
Heineken UK commented: “The decision to adjust the ABV of Foster’s reflects our commitment to helping consumers make responsible choices, while supporting pubs and retailers with a competitively priced classic lager alongside a portfolio of brands across the price and ABV spectrum.
“Our master brewers have spent many months refining the recipe to ensure the taste remains unmistakably Foster’s – crisp, balanced, and refreshing.”
According to NIQ data, off-trade sales of Foster’s declined by 13.7% to £252.8 million in the year leading up to April.
Since the introduction of new duty savings on beers with an ABV of 3.4% or below in August 2023, several products have been reformulated, including Carlsberg Pilsner, Coors Light and Grolsch.
It comes after we reported how alcohol tax should rise to tackle a “productivity crisis”, says a think tank. Nearly one in three workers have called in sick after drinking at work events in the past year.
And it’s 43% for 18 to 24-year-olds, a survey found. Many young people say they feel pressured into drinking to “fit in” or progress their career, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) poll revealed.
More than one in five of all employees surveyed said they had worked with a hangover, and 29% said they had noticed colleagues being “tired or sluggish” after drinking. The policy experts said action is vital to address the damaging impact of work-related drinking and subsequent productivity problems across all sectors.
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