Why Low & No businesses benefit from WSTA membership

Blog | 22 November, 2022

 Why Low & No businesses benefit from WSTA membership

Does your business sell low & no products and have you considered membership of a trade association? Look no further!

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is the largest alcoholic drinks trade association in the UK – we represent over 350 companies including those that produce, import, and sell low and no alcoholic beverages.

We have a focused Low and No Working Group that meets every quarter and offers member support and advice when producing, labelling and promoting low & no-alcohol products in the UK.

“The low & no market stills feels a relatively lonely space within which to operate, but Kelly has provided guidance and support at every stage of our product development.  Her input has enabled us to create “global” products which translate well from market to market and – most importantly – are compliant in each. Having access to an external “expert” when faced with grey areas provides tremendous reassurance and a fresh perspective on the issue to hand.   Since this is such a rapidly growing market and therefore under close scrutiny, independent advice is invaluable in avoiding costly mistakes.”-  Accolade Wines

Our working group is in regular contact with Government officials and local government enforcement officers to influence proposed rule changes and to ensure that these are practical and workable for our members.

The working group has three active workstreams:

Revamping the first release of the WSTA Guidance on labelling low and no- alcohol products.

• This includes developing our own definitions for low and no-alcohol products which will provide consistency for producers and consumers. Our definitions will be based on the final alcohol content of a beverage and whether alcohol is an ingredient. Finally, we will ensure that our descriptors are mutually exclusive. This approach will ensure maximum clarity for consumers and will help them to understand if the product they are buying has alcohol in it.

Developing new guidance relating to low/no wine-based products.

• This is a very complex area and our members have identified a need for clarification on labelling rules when producing low and no wine-based and/or grape-based products that are aimed as an alternative to wine.

Developing guidance for marketing of no alcohol products.

• Our guidance will not apply to beverages with an alcohol content above 0.5% as these rules are clear. Our members asked for guidelines around the promotion and advertising of no-alcohol products, recognising that although these typically contain no more alcohol than standard grocery products (that are not subject to strict advertising rules), it is how no-alcohol products are marketed and to who they are marketed to that makes them different and why guidelines need to exist. Creating meaningful and helpful rules for alcohol alternatives has not been easy but we’re nearly there! The guidelines produced will be relevant to these low-risk products, workable for industry, acceptable to enforcement officers and clear to all.

The WSTA is the leading trade body that provides hands-on help for this ever-evolving sector. But don’t just take it from us, this is what our members have to say:

“The WSTA membership fee is very well spent in my view because the WSTA have so many relevant and timely initiatives which support the drinks industry and it engenders a real sense of community amongst those who belong. Whether it is issues of compliance, taxation, logistics, commerce, or technical, the WSTA work tirelessly for their members. A small but highly motivated team are right on the matters that concern the trade, both proactively and reactively. Whether in small work groups for specific issues or the larger more general concerns, you can trust the WSTA to be on the side of engaged traders lobbying authorities and playing a key role in public affairs. The forum is indispensable.” – RT Wine Solutions LTD

“Our growth from Alcoholic Beverages into No & Lo products involved lots of additional requirements, particularly around labelling. Support from WSTA was very helpful during this process.” – Broadland Drinks

If you would like more information on how membership at the WSTA will help your Low & No business, please contact kelly@wsta.co.uk