Alcohol-free drinks are now as little as 20p cheaper than their boozy equivalents at pubs in the UK as health-conscious Brits continue to change drinking habits.
The starkest example found by MailOnline was a bottle of Heineken at a Marston’s pub in Manchester for £4.75 where Heineken 0.0 is £4.55 – just 4 per cent less.
Elsewhere, a Young’s pub in Brockenhurst is selling Tempio Prosecco DOC sparkling wine for £6.75, only 50p more than Steinbock Sparkling Wine 0% at £6.25.
Meanwhile a Greene King pub in Birmingham is selling a Berry Spritz for £8, only £1 above a Warner’s 0% Pink Berry Spritz for £7. Both are £1 more at its London pubs.
The biggest difference spotted in research was at BrewDog, which sells a draught pint of Punk IPA for £6.95 at its DogHouse venue in Edinburgh – compared to the same serving of Punk IPA Alcohol Free for £5.45, which is a difference of £1.50.
At the Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate, Wetherspoon’s biggest pub, a Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime is £4.74, while the alcohol-free version is £1.33 less at £3.41.
It follows reports that Guinness 0.0 is to be widely sold on draught for the first time in UK pubs after a successful trial at select locations, but is being priced at £6.35 at famed London pub The Devonshire – just 55p less than a regular pint of Guinness.
Today, one alcohol expert voiced concerns that the high price of 0 per cent drinks is not encouraging drinkers to reduce their alcohol intake, and will ‘do little to tackle the health inequalities linked to alcohol.’
Dr Katherine Severi, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, also noted that alcohol-free drinks are often priced at similar levels to their boozy counterparts, which is more understandable for smaller brands but not major manufacturers.
She told MailOnline: ‘Zero alcohol drinks are often a very similar price, if not more expensive than alcoholic products, despite producers not paying alcohol duty.
‘There are sometimes good reasons for this, with many start-up companies having to make higher margins to invest in their business.
‘There is less rationale for bigger brands charging high prices since they will already have much of the infrastructure required.’
Dr Severi added: ‘What is concerning about the high price of zero alcohol drinks is that they provide little incentive for consumers to try or switch to products that may help to cut down drinking rates.
‘High prices will also do little to tackle the health inequalities linked to alcohol.’
It comes after Guinness owner Diageo revealed its zero-alcohol variant would be widely available on draught in some UK pubs for the first time.
Guinness 0.0 has been on trial at The Devonshire and fellow London pub The George, but Diageo is now expanding the offering to cover other undisclosed pubs and football grounds across the UK.
The drink is now the biggest non-alcoholic beer in the UK off-trade this year according to Nielsen data.
Separate research showed 47 per cent of adults now switch between alcohol, low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks on the same occasion.
Previously, the alcohol-free stout was only available on draught in Ireland with pub-goers in the UK having to opt for a canned version.
But a pint of Guinness 0.0 at The Devonshire will set you back £6.35 – which is just 55p less than a regular pint.
Questions have been asked about the high prices of alcohol-free alternatives at pubs in the UK, given that no alcohol duty is paid on them. But brewers have said the prices are justified by a complex production process and research that goes into them.
A Guinness 0.0 pint at The Devonshire in London costs £6.35, just 55p less than a regular pint
Non-alcoholic Guinness in cans is already the best-selling non-alcoholic beer in shops in the UK.
Sales of the product doubled in the year up until June – fuelled by an increase in sobriety levels, particularly among young people, reported the Daily Telegraph.
The Devonshire in Soho, which only opened late last year, has already earned acclaim for its Guinness.
It reportedly pours more than 15,000 pints of the beverage a week, making it one of the biggest sellers of Guinness in the world.
Oisín Rogers, a spokesman for the Devonshire, said: ‘I think it’s unfair to imply that our business is expensive especially when we have a pints of excellent beer available at £4.95.
‘We have sold hundreds of pints of Guinness zero and nobody has complained about the price – in fact, they are very happy that we can offer a really premium product without alcohol poured through a system in which we have hugely invested.
Zero-alcohol Guinness will be widely available on draught in some UK pubs for the first time
‘Most people would expect to pay the same price as a regular pint, as they did at the rugby internationals earlier this year.’
Anna MacDonald, Guinness marketing director at Diageo, believes Guinness 0.0 could eventually overtake sales of normal Guinness, adding that the alcohol-free trend is accelerating faster than the company thought.
Alcohol-free drinks in England are currently defined as not exceeding 0.5 per cent alcohol. However in countries such as the US, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Portugal, and Belgium the limit is just 0.05 per cent.
The drinks have become increasingly popular among Gen Z who are increasingly swapping their usual pints for an alcohol-free alternative.
In July, Mark Pritchard, Conservative MP for The Wrekin in Shropshire, asked health minister Andrew Gwynne to look into cutting the cost of non-alcoholic drinks.
Mark Pritchard (left), Conservative MP for The Wrekin in Shropshire, has asked health minister Andrew Gwynne (right) to look into cutting the cost of non-alcoholic drinks
He said: ‘Non-alcoholic drinks need to be lower in price than alcoholic drinks to improve public health and reduce alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour.’
Mr Pritchard urged government ministers to speak with manufacturers and importers of non-alcoholic drinks to make them cheaper for customers.
He added that reforms by the previous government meant that drinks with alcohol content below 3.5 per cent were now taxed at a lower rate.
Mr Gwynne said in response to the parliamentary question: ‘The Government has set out its ambition to create a National Health Service fit for the future, which includes prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives.
‘The Government will continue to consider how best to address and reduce alcohol-related harms.’
Last week, Femail reported how swanky bars in London are charging hefty prices for mocktails, such as the Connaught in Mayfair where the drinks are up to £20.
Meanwhile, cocktail bar chain The Alchemist charges £12.50 for a French Kiss. Its teetotal sister – a ‘Cos-No’ – costs £9, without the vodka or berry liqueur.
At Cahoots, a speakeasy-style bar, the Winston Churchill and Elizabeth II mocktails cost £12, whereas the alcoholic versions are £15.50.
MailOnline has contacted Marston’s, Young’s, Greene King, BrewDog and Wetherspoon for comment. The Department for Health and Social Care directed MailOnline to Mr Gwynne’s response to the parliamentary question.