Non-alcoholic? Alcohol-free? Low Alcohol? Understanding the difference between non-alcoholic labels

So you’ve taken on a Dry January, or are committed to reducing or eliminating alcohol from your diet. There’s never been a better time, with the quantity and quality of non-alcoholic beverages improving daily. But with more choice comes more confusion - and there are many terms thrown around with relation to low- and no-alcohol drinks that make it harder to understand just what you’re drinking. Here’s a quick primer on common terms you’ll see as you explore your drinks options, and how to choose wisely!

A disclaimer about terminology and beverage labels

Before we start, remember that labelling rules differ from country to country. In this article, we’re focusing on the general rules in Canada, but even provinces may have slight differences. If you’re unsure or have specific concerns, always double-check the small print of the label of your bottle of non-alcoholic wine, beer or spirit to determine the exact alcohol by volume, or ask for more information.

What is alcohol by volume and why does it matter? 

While different jurisdictions might use different terms on their alcohol free products, alcohol by volume (ABV) is a scientific measure indicating the percent of the beverage that is made up of alcohol (specifically ethanol, which is the type of alcohol that is created for human consumption, and yes, it is chemically the same stuff you fuel your car with). So, if a wine is 10% ABV, this means that every glass you drink will be made up of 10% ethanol. In Canada, the government defines anything as 1.1% ABV and over as ‘alcohol’. But what about under that limit?

What is a non-alcoholic drink?

Generally speaking, in the U.S. the FDA defines drinks with an ABV of 0.5% or less as non-alcoholic. In fact,  common food and beverages we wouldn’t associate with alcohol at all, such as kefir, ripe fruit or orange juice, often contain a similar trace amount of ethanol. The reason this amount of ethanol is considered non-alcoholic is because the human body processes this amount of alcohol faster than it can consume it. 

At home in Canada, the beer definition has just been amended so that anything 0.5% and under is legally non-alcoholic (and anything over 0.5% must be taxed as alcohol) - there is no standard definition in Ontario for non-alcoholic wine or spirits. In British Columbia and Alberta, the liquor control boards define “liquor” as anything for human consumption with MORE than 1% ABV, meaning anything with less than 1% alcohol by volume can technically be considered “non-alcoholic” in those regions. In Manitoba, they call anything between 0.5% and 1.0% a “controlled beverage”. Confused yet? Keep reading!

Are non-alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks the same thing?

Ite depends. In some countries, calling wine, beer or other beverages alcohol-free means it has an even lower ABV. Generally, when a beverage is alcohol-free there are two considerations:

1. there was no fermentation during the manufacturing process and

2. there was no alcohol used in distillation to extract flavour

For example, in the UK, a beverage needs to have a maximum of 0.05% (NOT 0.5%) to be labelled/considered an alcohol-free drink. In Canada; however, this sort of distinction is not mandated. Once again, ABV is your friend here - if you are really determined to avoid even trace amounts of alcohol, you’ll want to look for drinks labelled 0.0% ABV.

What about de-alcoholized drinks?

De-alcoholized wines, beers and spirits also have a low ABV, but as the name implies, they started out as alcoholic and the alcohol was removed.

Dealcoholized wine, according to the government of Canada means:

“that the alcohol content has been reduced to less than 1.1%.”

And, producers and importers of these wines do not have to indicate the ABV on the label. So if you’re grabbing a ‘deacoholized” wine, it may not have as little as 0.5%, but won’t have more than 1.1%.

The definition of non-alcoholic beer was recently updated, and now anything with an ABV over 0.5% is considered an alcohol product, and anything less can be labelled (and taxed) as non-alcoholic.

There is no defined terminology for dealcoholized spirits like gin, rum or whiskey.

Low Alcohol and Light Alcoholic Beverages

Finally, what about drinks labelled “low alcohol” or “light”? While these products might be useful in decreasing your alcohol consumption, beware - these are definitely alcoholic beverages and can still intoxicate a human body, like their full-strength counterparts. 

In most provinces, a drink labelled low alcohol will have less than 1.1% ABV, while light drinks vary by type - a light beer will be between 2.6% and 4% ABV; a light wine 9% or less ABV. Like their full-strength counterparts, these are still alcohol levels that can intoxicate a human body. And of course, there are exceptions and differences from place to place and product to product - so read labels carefully and check the ABV if you’re not sure. 

Other Labelling Notes

One more twist? In Canada, non-alcoholic drinks must have nutritional labels on them, so with these options you can see the amounts of calories, sugar, and nutrients you are consuming. Not so with alcoholic drinks, which are exempt from nutritional labelling rules (kind of absurd when you consider it’s not uncommon for the average Canadian to intake 10% of their daily caloric requirement in alcoholic drinks every day - but we digress).

Conclusion

Having a handle on non-alcoholic beverage terminology is helpful, but caution is advised. The safest rule of thumb if you want to be completely ‘dry’ is to look at the ABV and stick to drinks that contain 0.5% or less ABV, which is low enough to be virtually impossible to intoxicate a human body. If you’re looking to stay ‘damp’, throw caution to the wind and grab that 1% dealcoholized wine made in B.C.

As with everything though, your personal circumstances and health requirements may require more specific information. When in doubt, refer to the specific ABV on the beverage you are choosing, speak with the producer or seller to get precise information, and where medical concerns are present, always speak to your health care professional to determine what’s best for you.