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Is it okay for children to drink drinks such as beer, champagne, wine or even gin if they do not contain alcohol?
Children also want to toast with their grown-ups at parties and celebrations. But are they allowed to do that with non-alcoholic beer, sparkling wine or wine? What speaks for and what against?
“I give my daughter non-alcoholic beer,” said Hollywood star and “Bad Moms” actress Kristen Bell, who made headlines this summer. As the actress reported on the American “Kelly Clarksen Show”, her eight-year-old daughter likes to drink zero percent barley juice. Like Bild.dereported, Bell is aware that not all parents are in favor of this, but she is convinced that she is not doing anything wrong.
But is that really okay? Are children allowed to drink non-alcoholic beer, champagne or wine and now, over the holidays, toast with it like the adults?
Non-alcoholic beer very popular
The fact is that sales of non-alcoholic alternatives such as beer, wine, sparkling wine and even gin are increasing in Germany. After all, there doesn't always have to be a percentage in the glass for the drink to taste good. Non-alcoholic beer in particular is becoming increasingly popular in the motherland of barley juice. And because there is no alcohol in it, children can also drink non-alcoholic beer or champagne, wine and the like, right?
Unfortunately, the answer to this is not clear. The law does not prohibit children from drinking or purchasing non-alcoholic alternatives. Unlike 'real' beer or wine, which you can only buy and consume from the age of 16. Nevertheless, parents should be careful about giving their child soda, non-alcoholic sparkling wine or even non-alcoholic beer.
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Non-alcoholic does not mean without alcohol
Just because it says alcohol-free on the label doesn't mean there's no alcohol in it. In fact, in Germany, anything that does not exceed an alcohol content of 0.5 percent can be declared as alcohol-free. This also includes non-alcoholic beer, sparkling wine and wine.
By the way:Fassbrause is also made with non-alcoholic beer and can therefore have a residual alcohol content.
Only drinks that are labeled 'without alcohol' or '0.0' are really alcohol-free.
Show off knowledge:Alcohol can also occur naturally in drinks. For example, apple and orange juice can contain small amounts of alcohol. However, the amount here is 0.38 percent alcohol by volume per liter of juice. A health-safe amount, even for smaller children.
Recipe tip:
Non-alcoholic beer is allowed for children, but not recommended
The amount of residual alcohol that alternatives declared as alcohol-free may contain is harmless to children. However, age grading in consumption seems to make sense. A non-alcoholic beer for a 14-year-old child is different than for a 2-year-old child. Ultimately, however, the decision rests with the parents.
Jens Lehmann, for example, also mentioned2008 in an interviewon the ZDF talk show “Maybrit Illner” that his then two-year-old daughter would like to drink non-alcoholic beer. A scandal for the other talk guests.
As one would expect, it is not just the alcohol that is the problem with these alternatives, but rather the taste. Once children get used to the taste of non-alcoholic beer, sparkling wine and wine, the step and also the inhibition threshold towards the 'real' variants is only small.
In addition, the regular consumption of such drinks suggests that alcohol, even in its non-alcoholic version, appears to be part of everyday life. Habits develop that are difficult to break. This can promote later alcoholism.
Conclusion:Non-alcoholic beer, sparkling wine or wine does not harm children due to the residual alcohol they contain. Rather, it is the taste of these drinks and the habituation to them that parents should be careful about. That's why variants 'without alcohol' or in the '0.0' version are only suitable for children in exceptional cases.
