“Sober-curious”: Europeans keen to roll back on alcohol amid functional beverage innovations

02 Apr 2024 --- Consumers are drifting away from alcohol consumption, with 40% of Europeans opting for coffee instead and over half of them claiming they would cut back if a wider range of healthy beverages were available, says Prinova’s research.

Food Ingredients First examines the emerging trend with James Street, global marketing director at Prinova, who believes consumers are increasingly “re-evaluating” their relationship with alcohol.

“Health-conscious consumers are either embracing the ‘sober-curious’ trend or simply moderating their intake. This was reflected in our survey, in which nearly half of respondents had decreased their alcohol consumption over the past three years,” he tells us.

He cites factors like general health concerns and the desire to lose weight as critical reasons for the change in consumer habits but also points to “financial drivers” coming into play.

“At the same time, consumers are focusing on functional beverages as part of a proactive approach to their health and looking to them for specific benefits – most commonly hydration and energy but also in areas like immune support and cognitive performance.”

To analyze the fast-evolving beverage space, Prinova surveyed 1,277 consumers in five of Europe’s largest beverage markets — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Beyond supplements
As per Innova Market Insights’ analysis, an increased focus on health and wellness, changing lifestyles and a growing, aging population drive the supplement market growth.

Street notices that beverages are now deemed an ideal vehicle for wellness benefits.

“With busy modern lifestyles, consumers are increasingly on the lookout for easy ways to fulfill their well-being needs with 89% of global consumers being interested in using functional foods and drinks instead of capsules and tablets to improve their health.”

Beverages are now deemed an ideal vehicle for wellness benefits, observes Street (Image credit: Prinova).“Our research also reflected a consumer preference for delivery formats that offer convenience, such as push-cap bottles.”

Among the beverage types associated with health benefits, Spanish respondents opted for still water, the German and French for tea, while the Italian and UK consumers preferred juices and smoothies.

Herbal and green teas were most strongly regarded as healthy by respondents in the UK and Spain, while Italians associated energy drinks with health.

Demographic dynamics
Consumers drinking less alcohol are increasing their consumption of other beverages, with coffee the top choice overall, tea a close second (39%) and still water third (36%), followed by energy drinks (28%) and smoothies (26%).

“Our research also revealed some interesting demographic differences: men were keener on amino acids and glucose than women, while women expressed a stronger preference for vitamins, fruit, antioxidants and collagen,” reveals Street.

“Caffeine was most popular with younger age groups, while older people were more likely to seek omega 3.”

As per the study, Gen-Z consumers were much more inclined to be either “teetotal” or to have increased their alcohol intake. Those aged 25-34 were most likely to drink less, with 55-64-year-olds being potential heavy drinkers.

Germany had the highest number of consumers who would be teetotal, with people in the UK being the heaviest drinkers. 

We recently spoke with Michael Robbins, Prinova's technical sales executive, nutrition to explore why consumers are cutting back on alcohol.Affordability could be at play here. According to the alcohol charity Alcohol Change UK, which advocates alcohol consumption as a “conscious choice,” from 2009 to 2019, in the UK, the price of alcohol decreased by 5% relative to retail prices. It became 13% more affordable than in 2008 and is now 74% more affordable than in 1987.

Leveraging plant-based
Street highlights plant protein as one of the most desirable beverage ingredients in the report, ahead of whey protein and fruit.

This comes as consumers become more eco-conscious and show rising interest in plant-based protein as part of a broader “healthy me, healthy planet” trend. 

“Prinova’s plant-based proteins deliver consistent performance and are sourced from secure supply chains offering full traceability,” he underscores.

He further highlights Prinova’s innovation AlphaTea, a “natural source of L-Theanine derived from Green Tea Extract.”

“It’s produced using advanced processing techniques to achieve one of the highest potencies of L-Theanine from Camellia Sinensis alone (up to 40%).” The ingredient can be used to formulate a high-protein, indulgent hot chocolate drink, detailed as a beverage concept in the report.

Meanwhile, 12% of survey participants viewed plant-based alt-dairy drinks as healthy.

According to the report, women prefer vitamins, fruit, antioxidants and collagen in healthy drinks (Image credit: Prinova).Premix power
Nearly two-thirds of respondents surveyed chose vitamins as the ingredient they seek in healthy drinks, and almost half chose minerals, which were particularly popular in Germany, notes Street.

“The right premix partner can help create market-leading beverages with premium micronutrients. At Prinova, we’re experts in custom premixes and market-ready blends that make it easy to incorporate ingredients such as amino acids and vitamins.”

To meet vegans’ nutritional needs, Prinova has formulated nutrient-rich premixes for dairy replacement products that contain essential vitamins and can be adapted to include additional functional ingredients, such as probiotics and calcium, as well as flavoring.

Naturality and science
Street highlights that a multitude of consumers are looking for healthy, non-alcoholic beverage options, fueling opportunities for innovation.

“The power of the trusted brand continues to win over consumers, bolstering credibility and perceptions of efficacy.”

“Other purchase drivers for healthy beverages include affordability (especially during the current cost-of-living crisis), naturality of ingredients and scientific substantiation,” he concludes.

By Insha Naureen