Portman Group issues hard seltzer guidance

The body commissioned research, carried out by YouGov, which reveals 93% of UK consumers had not heard of hard seltzers. In total, 21% of people had heard of at least one of ‘hard water’, ‘alcoholic sparkling water’ or ‘hard seltzer’. The survey shows understanding of the terms associated with alcoholic seltzers was highest in younger consumers aged 18-24.

In addition, 68% of British consumers didn’t understand whether ‘hard’ was being used to convey either the alcoholic content, alcoholic strength, or both. Meanwhile, 64% of respondents did not feel the term was useful when used to indicate alcoholic content on soft drinks or alcoholic drinks.

The Portman Group’s new guidance stipulates that products must communicate their alcoholic nature with absolute clarity. For best practice purposes, producers are encouraged to include alcohol volume and references to ‘alcohol’ on the front of packaging and ensure that these elements are given more emphasis than other design features. Caution is advised when using fruit images and descriptors, a popular feature for the category.

Matt Lambert, chief executive at the Portman Group, said: “Our research shows there is consumer confusion on the use of the various hard seltzer terms. This is perhaps unsurprising given the relative newness of the category in the UK; however, we expect it to grow rapidly. As such the guidance has been issued in anticipation of the growth in order to help producers avoid potential pitfalls as they innovate and launch. The Independent Complaints Panel is the final arbiter of the code and will assess complaints about products on a case-by-case basis, accounting for all relevant information.”