Systembolaget's alcohol-free beer selection plays into the hands of major breweries

Systembolaget's mission to improve public health through its alcohol-free beer selection is being undermined by a market dominated by large breweries' imitations. The current offering features 18 alcohol-free beers, 13 of which are direct copies of popular alcoholic brands, predominantly in the light lager style.

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For the major breweries, the fixed shelf space for alcohol-free copies is worth its weight in gold.

This strategy, according to DN's Sanna Lindberg, is driven by Systembolaget's logic of customer recognition and expected demand. However, it primarily benefits the large breweries. The prominent shelf space for these non-alcoholic copies serves as a valuable marketing tool, allowing them to promote their original alcoholic beverages and entire brand portfolios. Essentially, these cheap, alcohol-free alternatives become a de facto marketing budget for alcoholic products.

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In short, we get cheap beer – at the price of more alcohol marketing – while the price gap to alcohol-free beer from smaller players grows and distorts the market further.

The consequence is a market where consumers get cheaper beer at the cost of increased alcohol marketing. Meanwhile, the price gap between alcohol-free options from smaller producers widens, further distorting the market. Lindberg points out that the production cost of alcohol-free beer can often be higher due to the de-alcoholization process, yet it is frequently priced higher than its alcoholic counterparts due to alcohol taxes.

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Systembolaget's alcohol-free offering is an important part of their main mission: to contribute to better public health.

Lindberg argues that Systembolaget has a unique opportunity to curate an alcohol-free selection that truly reflects quality, diversity, and current market developments. Based on taste tests comparing alcohol-free versions to their alcoholic counterparts, she concludes that the current offering falls short of this potential, failing to align with the goal of promoting better public health.

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After having tried the alcohol-free beers against their alcoholic counterparts, I can say with certainty that this is not the case with today's offering.