The recent Stats NZ beer, wine and spirits consumption has declined to the lowest since data was first collected and supported a seismic cultural shift towards “mindful drinking”.
NielsenIQ (US) attributed the rise in non-alcoholic sales to the mindful drinking trend. To be a mindful drinker, one must be aware of how much alcohol one has been consuming and when one may be consuming too much.
“The consumer trend towards moderation is very real, with more focus on health and wellness”, said NZ Alcohol Beverages Council (NZABC) executive director Virginia Nicholls.
“Beer, wine and spirits have responded to this trend by offering a wider range of low and no alcohol options. This innovation reflects our commitment to supporting responsible drinking.”
A poll of 1,000 New Zealanders in October 2024 found that 55 percent (up from 49 percent in 2021) of respondents drink low-alcohol beverages at least some of the time, and some of us prefer low-alcohol beverages.
According to Stats NZ, beer, wine, and spirits consumption per head of population was at an all-time low, declining by five percent to 7.8 litres in the past year, following a 12 percent decline in 2022. Consumption per capita has also declined more than 30 percent since 1986.
Wine fell by 4.1 percent to 95 million litres in the past year, spirits by 5.5 percent to 92 million litres, and beer by 5.4 percent to 296 million litres. In addition to the volume of wine and beer produced in New Zealand, 241 million litres of wine were exported, and 20 million litres were produced in 2024.
“We are seeing consumers drinking less and drinking better with the move to moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle.”
The Health New Zealand survey showed that more than four out of five New Zealanders have been drinking beer, wine, and spirits responsibly, an increase of 4.7 percentage points over the past four years.
Hazardous drinking or harmful alcohol consumption among adults over the past four years has declined to 16.6 percent. The volume of beer, wine and spirits standard drinks per person aged 18 years and over fell to 1.77 standard drinks per person per day.
This indicated that most consumers have been drinking within Health New Zealand's low-risk drinking advice. For women, this is drinking no more than two standard drinks a day, and three standard drinks a day for men, with at least two alcohol-free days each week. A standard drink contains ten grams of alcohol.
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