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Drunk for £1: Anger as leading supermarkets sell lager for 22p a can
Last updated at 23:52pm on 10.11.07Supermarkets are selling beer at a cheaper price than water, fuelling concern over their role in Britain's binge-drinking crisis.
Despite repeated public health warnings, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda now offer lager at just 22p a can - less per litre than their ownbrand-mineral water and cola, and cheap enough to allow someone to get drunk for just £1.
An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has uncovered a fierce alcohol price war between the major supermarkets.
Lager is now so cheap that the stores pay more in excise duties than they charge at the till.
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Brewing trouble: Asda's shelves are stocked with cheap own-brand lager - available only in multipacks
When production costs and overheads are taken into account, experts estimate shops are losing up to 8p a can.
Public-health bodies, doctors and MPs were furious when confronted with the findings.
Don Shenker, director of policy for Alcohol Concern, said: "There is no justification for the sale of lager at such a ridiculously low price.
"The fact that it is cheaper than their own brand of cola per litre is appalling.
Is 22p lager going to encourage binge drinking? Join the debate in readers' comments below...
"This sends entirely the wrong message to the young drinkers we are trying to steer away from alcohol abuse.
"They will think that if it's so cheap, it must be OK. We would urge the supermarkets to seriously review their pricing policy."
The last time lager was this cheap in pubs was 1975, but the supermarket price plunged to a new low last week following "tit-for-tat" measures between Tesco and Asda.
Last Monday, Asda slashed the price of Smart Price Lager to just 22p for a 440ml can following a similar move from Tesco.
Both stores now match Sainsbury's, whose Basics range has sold at 22p since June 2005.
This means that all three supermarkets are now selling cut-price lager, with an alcohol content of between two and three per cent, at 50p a litre - or just over 28p a pint.
By contrast, bottles of own-brand mineral water cost between 56p and 92p a litre, depending on the store.
Furthermore, a six-pack of 330ml cans of own brand cola costs between £1.11 and £1.29, or 56p to 65p a litre.
The situation may be about to deteriorate.
In an unprecedented move, Asda last week cleared their shelves of single cans and replaced them with multi-packs, forcing customers to buy in bulk.
The supermarket is the first of the major stores to introduce such a policy.
But critics fear that rival stores will be forced to follow suit to keep pace in a ferociously competitive market.
Sandra Gidley MP, public health spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, said: "Britain is in the midst of a binge-drinking crisis and prices like these do not help. The supermarkets constantly talk about their corporate social responsibility - maybe they should start practising it."
Experts are particularly concerned with the effect of low prices on children's alcohol consumption.
Last week, the Government admitted that the number of youngsters treated for alcohol abuse had rocketed by 40 per cent in just one year.
Figures obtained from the National Treatment Agency showed that children as young as ten are suffering illnesses usually present in ageing alcoholics and entering rehabilitation programmes in ever-increasing numbers.
A day after Asda slashed its beer prices, a report by Alcohol Concern found that supermarket alcohol is now so cheap that children could buy it using just their pocket money.
The Royal College of Physicians is so alarmed at the effect cheap alcohol is having on public health that it is forming an alliance with 21 other health groups to lobby the Government for a ten per cent rise in alcohol tax
Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College, said: "There is clear evidence that the drinks industry is not behaving responsibly on alcohol pricing. Beer, wine and spirits are not ordinary products.
"They are legal drugs and should not be sold as a loss leader."
Last month, a Competition Commission inquiry into supermarket dominance of the retail market found that stores were selling alcohol at a loss to entice customers through their doors.
That commission revealed that during the 2006 football World Cup, Britain's four biggest supermarkets sold £12.7million of beer, wine and spirits below cost price.
However, the figures were disputed by some supermarkets.
Evidence from Finland also suggestsa link between price and consumption. There, tax on alcohol was slashed by 40 per cent in 2003.
Since then, drink sales have soared 11 per cent.
The glut of cheap beer on supermarket shelves has sounded alarm bells at top levels.
Professor Mark Bellis, from the North West Public Health Observatory and the Government's leading adviser on alcohol, said: "Of 15-year-olds, nearly two-thirds have drunk in the past four weeks, and around one in seven of those drinkers consumed enough to vomit.
"The reality is that about 30 per cent of all 15-year-olds think it is OK to get drunk once a week.
"We need to tackle a youth culture in which drunkenness is commonplace-underage access to alcohol relatively easy and alternatives to drinking far too scarce."
Robin Touquet, a consultant in the accident and emergency department at St Mary's Hospital, London, said: "Alcohol is a drug. It's a toxin and in inexperienced drinkers it can be dangerous.
"It doesn't matter what the level of alcohol in the drink is, if you drink enough it's going to have exactly the same adverse effects that higher percentage drinks such as wine and spirits have."
The Department of Health has announced a review of drink supply rules which may mean new restrictions on the sale of alcohol and tougher action against stores that sell to under-18s.
A spokesman for Asda said: "We were reluctant to bring our price down but we are the price leader and we cannot afford to be exposed by our rivals. It is a competitive market and if someone is offering something at a ridiculous price, we have to match it."
A spokesman for Tesco declined to comment on specifics but released a statement that read: "In common with other retailers, we sell a range of beers at different prices to suit all budgets.
"Our research shows that most of the alcohol purchased by our customers is bought as part of the weekly family shop."
A spokesman for Sainsbury's said: "The vast majority of our customers who buy alcohol do so as part of their regular, large grocery shop.
"Our research shows that they consume it over a period of weeks and months or they buy it for a special occasion such as a party."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "The Government has commissioned an independent national review of evidence on the relationship between alcohol, price, promotion and harm and following public consultation the need for regulatory change will, if necessary, be considered."
Reader views (18)
About the taste of the 2% beer. Sainsbury's have started doing a Basics 2% Beer which is not only way better taste wise than their lager, but really quite palatable. Highly recommended.
- Andrew, Maidenhead, 28/03/2011 20:12
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yer, but its like 2%vol (almost half of most normal beers), so only super lightweights can get drunk off £1 worth
- Charles, Harrogate, England, 01/11/2009 22:33
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Budget price larger has a low alcohol content. It is refreshing to be able to sit and drink 4 cans over an evening without much effect. Modern beers, aside from very expensive ales, always tend to be 2 to 2.5 times stronger. 16 cans of cheap larger = 6 cans of top brand. I wish some competition could be introduced to improve the taste, however 
- Rich, Portsmouth, UK, 01/08/2009 00:45
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There's all this complaining in the press about the nanny state, and when we are allowed to have a bit of fun the press smashes that as well. Get your opinions straight!
- Matt, London, 23/11/2008 01:01
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I think these figures on the prices of own brand beer, cola and water have been manipulated in order to sensationalize this cheap lager. This evening I visited an ASDA store and bought 2 litres of water for around 17 pence. The lager and Cola represents the cheapest version of the drink that the store produced. However the Mineral water is an example of a 'luxury' version of water. Surely it would have been a fairer comparison to compare the cost of the lager to the cheapest water product. Further more the price and units of alcohol in a pack of own brand larger from any of the 3 supermarkets is very comparable to a cheap circa £3 bottle of wine which are sold by all off licenses and stores and have been for a long time.
- Ben, Neston, UK, 01/04/2008 00:58
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I think that the government just needs to bow out and stop meddling with our lives. They think that more tax will control binge drinking. What they need to do is use the ASBO to put people in the army. 3 Asbos and you can go defend your country. That will stop binge drinkers, not taxing beer for everyone else!
- Luke, Byfleet, UK, 12/12/2007 12:34
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I don`t know what all the fuss is about regarding supermarkets selling so called cheap lager. Most of it is only about 2% proof and is little stronger than non alcoholic lager, if you tried to take enough to get drunk it would come out of your ears before it had much effect. It is, however, a very pleasant drink straight out of the fridge on a hot day which you can have without the worry of getting tipsy. Perhaps if the non alcoholic beers were sold at a more reasonable price people would drink these instead.
- Pedro, Scarborough, UK, 14/11/2007 20:56
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I don't believe it is the under-18 market that these supermarkets are aiming at. If nothing else, it is still illegal to sell it to that age group. However, I do believe they are targeting vulnerable alcoholics who have little money and even less hope. A teenage binge drinker might drink 20 cans in a weekend, but an alcoholic could drink 70-100 cans each and every week. Anyone who thinks this is a responsible way of promoting a supermarket obviously doesn't care about their community.
- Mark, Leicester, 13/11/2007 09:19
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It just proves that bottled water is too expensive.
- Eightball, Florida, USA, 11/11/2007 22:24
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I have to agree with Andy. Good for Tesco and the others for coming up with a clever loss-leader. You can tell Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College, for me: you don't like cheap beer, don't drink it.
- Malvolio, San Francisco, CA, 11/11/2007 21:58
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Nothing is happening with Beer or any alcohol that hasn't been occuring for the last 100 years. I lived in England in the 60s and lived in the pubs drinking as much as possible. I doubt cheap cans of beer will cause any more problems than cheap pints.
- Rich, San Angelo, USA, 11/11/2007 16:23
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Sweet... I'm moving!
- Joe, USA, 11/11/2007 15:54
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If you're drunk on 4 cans of 2% lager, you're not a binge drinker.
- Stephen, Southampton, England, 11/11/2007 14:44
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Cheap alcohol is plentiful in Spain, you can buy spirits for less than £4 a bottle here, yet you never see drunk teenagers. Britain already has the most expensive alcohol prices in Europe so the problem is not the price of alcohol. It is that British social habits need to change. Why not address this rather than penalising those who have the ability to drink responsibly.
- Casper, Ibiza Spain, 11/11/2007 13:52
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If beer is cheaper than water, perhaps we should be reviewing the scandolous prices of water.
- Nick, London, 11/11/2007 12:46
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There is a very good reason for these cans costing 22p, first off the taste is absolutely horrible, akin to drinking severely diluted lager. Secondly, the alcohol content is 2%, this isn't exactly rocket fuel and I would challenge anyone to muscle their way through four cans of this stuff partly due to the rancid taste, and partly due to the fact that for a majority of people, the alcohol content is not going to be enough to have a tangible effect.
What I don't understand is why the government isn't focusing on these so called 'super lagers' which have an alcohol content of around 9% and can be had for not very much money at all. Surely this is causing a bigger problem than the weak and horrible product that the supermarkets sell? Somebody who has just drank four cans of the cheap stuff is going to be nowhere near as much of a problem as somebody who has guzzled down the equivalent amount of the super strength stuff.
I urge anyone to take a good look at the stock levels of the cheap lager next time they're out shopping, you will find that very few people will even entertain the idea of buying it and as a consequence the shelf is full all of the time. Some will even point and laugh at the product, including the most destitute alcoholics.
- Tony Jukes, UK, 11/11/2007 11:33
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Hear hear Andy. I'm an adult, I decide how much and how often I drink, it is nobody else's business. If they're worried about under age drinking then require ID. It is not the government's job to oversee how individuals behave in their own homes, what are we one of the states in the Middle East we are so active in defending the people from their overpowering governments?
- Eric, Riihimäki, Finland, 11/11/2007 11:21
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I don't want to hear from busy-body nanny-state idiots. I can decide for myself how much to drink and the price is not the factor. If adults are too stupid to regulate their drinking, that's their affair. Prevent children getting this stuff and leave adults to make their own choices. Get rid of the "free" NHS so they have to pay if they need treatment for alcoholism and keep the government the heck out of people's private business. Good grief. If you insist on treating the population like babies, that is how they will behave. Encourage common sense and self-initiative in school and society and let people make their own choices, damn it!
- Andy, Vantaa, Finland, 11/11/2007 08:49
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