10 Facts About Whether "Alcohol Free" Drinks Really Contain No Alcohol!

I've often asked myself whether the drink that says " Alcohol-free " really doesn't contain any alcohol. So that you can answer the question with certainty in the future, here is the fact check!

More interesting information on the topic "alcohol-free".

1. Without alcohol

If your bottle says "without alcohol" you can be sure that the drink contains 0.00% alcohol. Because according to German law, foodstuffs may only bear the designation "without alcohol" if they really do not contain any alcohol. live without alcohol? There are unlimited reasons why you should live alcohol free .

Living alcohol-free: Reasons why you should avoid alcohol!

2. Alcohol free

A drink advertised as "non-alcoholic" does not have to be 100% alcohol-free. According to German food law, it may contain a residual alcohol content of up to 0.5% by volume without this having to be labelled. Most manufacturers of alcohol-free beers now label them with the residual alcohol content ("alcohol < 0.5% by volume").

But did you know that even food contains alcohol?

Alcohol has long been used as a preservative in food. And even today, everyone probably knows the "Mon Cherie" praline, which is filled with alcohol. But fruits also contain a low alcohol content due to natural fermentation processes. However, there is no labeling requirement for solid foods such as chocolates or desserts. The added alcohol only has to be named in the list of ingredients for the packaged food.

3. Fruits contain alcohol?

Yes, you read that right! As described above, fruits naturally contain small amounts of alcohol due to their natural fermentation process. The alcohol content in fruits and fruit juices rarely exceeds 0.3% by volume. This alcohol content cannot be tasted and does not have to be declared.

However, a ripe banana contains up to 0.6% alcohol by volume and therefore has significantly more alcohol than our alcohol-free alternatives. Five ripe, medium-sized bananas contain as much alcohol as a small beer. But alcohol is also present and permitted in apple and grape juice. Grape juice may contain up to 1.0% alcohol by volume

Any ripe fruit can contain alcohol. Ethanol, the scientifically correct name for the colloquial alcohol, is actually just fermented sugar. Ripe fruits contain sugar, but also yeast. Yeast cells, which get into the fruit interior via small cracks in the skin, for example, break down sugar into alcohol when there is a lack of oxygen. The more sugar in the fruit and the more time it takes to transform it, the greater its alcohol content.

4. Then why is apple juice and grape juice not alcohol-free?

Good question right? In fact, this is very easy to answer. Foodstuffs are only required to be labeled if they have an alcohol content of 1.2% or more. In addition, in the production of non-alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer, an alcoholic beverage is first produced and then the alcohol is removed using various processes. For technical reasons, however, it is never possible to remove all of the alcohol from the drink, so the legislature introduced a tolerance limit of up to 0.5% residual alcohol.

However, a few producers have managed to bring 0.0% products onto the market. These providers then guarantee you that there is no alcohol left.

5. Can you eat while drunk?

The question of whether you could eat while you were drunk inevitably reminds you of the classic film " The Funny World of Animals ". As early as the 1970s, he introduced monkeys & co., who behaved in a daze after eating fermented fruits from the Marula tree in the African savannah. Staggering elephants, swaying giraffes and a caterpillar with hiccups played along. However, the alcohol content of a marula fruit freshly picked from the tree is very low. In fallen fruit that ferments for three to four days, it rises to 3%. However, an elephant would have to eat about 400 times its usual amount of marula fruit to get buzzed, while giving up water at the same time.

As already mentioned in point three, the banana is a fruit with a high sugar content and is therefore the devil in alcohol among foods with a natural alcohol content. However, a man of average body weight would have to eat around 20 bananas to become unfit to drive.

In summary, it can be said that the alcohol content of very ripe fruit is usually harmless or at least it would be very exhausting to eat a smoke.

6. Should people with a former addiction switch to non-alcoholic alternatives?

Even though most non-alcoholic drinks contain hardly any alcohol and all drinks are considered physiologically harmless, we strongly advise against such a plan. As a result of the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages, former alcoholics experience association effects with alcoholic beverages and, in the worst case, reactivation of a psychological dependence. Since even alcohol-free beer looks, smells and tastes like normal beer, only the alcohol content differs. Curious about how alcohol behaves in the body and what it does to you?

7. No physiological effects? Does that mean I can drink as much non-alcoholic beer as I want and still drive a car?

Yes, that's exactly what it means! Alcohol-free alternatives will not affect your ability to drive. As early as 1983, scientists found out that an average man weighing 75 kg would have to drink twelve liters of alcohol-free beer within one hour to reach a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8%.

The scientists also found that after drinking 1.5 liters of non-alcoholic beer within an hour, the blood alcohol concentration of the test subjects was 0.0 per thousand. This effect is explained by the fact that alcohol is broken down faster than new alcohol is fed into the body.

8. Is there really no alcohol in 0.0% beer?

Non-alcoholic beer can contain up to 0.5% alcohol by volume. However, some manufacturers already offer alcohol-free beer, which actually contains no alcohol at 0.0% by volume.

By law, products can be labeled “alcohol-free” up to the upper limit of 0.5% by volume. From 2015, many manufacturers will voluntarily provide information on the labels about the so-called residual alcohol in non-alcoholic beer. The reason for the residual alcohol in non-alcoholic beer is usually the manufacturing process. For example, the fermentation process can be interrupted as soon as the beer has reached a low alcohol content. Alternatively, the alcohol is subsequently removed from the beer, but here too a residual amount usually remains.

9. Is alcohol-free beer suitable for pregnant women despite the low residual alcohol level?

Yes! In small quantities, alcohol-free beer is occasionally even suitable for pregnant women, provided they otherwise cover their fluid requirements with water and unsweetened fruit and herbal teas. Bananas and apple or grape juice also contain comparatively small amounts of alcohol, these foods are also okay for pregnant women in moderation.

10. Are non-alcoholic drinks such as beer or wine suitable for children?

No! Alcohol-free beer is definitely not suitable for children. However, this is less due to the residual alcohol than to the taste, appearance and smell. Children could get used to the taste early on and later develop a tendency to drink alcohol more easily. So even if, for example, there is no alcohol in a beer, i.e. 0.0% by volume, it is still not a drink for children.

If you too have decided to give up alcohol, then you will find attractive new non-alcoholic drinks in our online shop that guarantee a taste explosion!