Poland weighs extending alcohol ad ban to 0.0% beer as volumes fall
Two bills in the Polish Sejm would ban advertising and promotion of alcoholic drinks and also cover non-alcoholic beer. An SW Research survey found 71% of Poles oppose banning sales of 0.0% beer, the only growing segment of the market, up 16.2% in the first half of 2026 while alcoholic beer fell 11.2%.
Poland's Sejm is processing two parliamentary bills that would ban the advertising and promotion of alcoholic beverages, including beer, and would also reach advertising of non-alcoholic beer. The drafts were prepared by the Lewica and Polska 2050 caucuses and differ in detail, portalspozywczy.pl reported. Their authors argue that the amendments to the law on upbringing in sobriety are meant to limit the impact of alcohol marketing, particularly on children and teenagers.
Poles separate 0.0% beer from alcohol
A survey by SW Research, commissioned by the brewers' employers' association ZPPP Browary Polskie, indicates that public opinion does not put non-alcoholic beer in the same category as drinks containing alcohol:
- 71% of respondents oppose a ban on the sale of non-alcoholic beer, while 14% support such a ban;
- 57% say advertising of non-alcoholic beer should remain permitted;
- 28% back applying the same legal restrictions to 0.0% beer as to alcoholic drinks;
- 61.5% treat non-alcoholic beer as a substitute for alcoholic beer, and 52.3% as a way to reduce alcohol consumption, including spirits.
The study was carried out on 18–19 August 2026 using the CAWI method on a representative sample of 809 Poles aged 18 and over.
The only growing segment
Non-alcoholic beer is the only expanding part of the Polish beer market. Its sales rose 16.2% year on year in the first half of 2026, while alcoholic beer recorded a decline of 11.2%, according to figures cited by portalspozywczy.pl. The category's growth fits the broader NoLo and Better for You trends, with consumers cutting alcohol intake and looking for alcohol-free alternatives.
Bartłomiej Morzycki, director general of ZPPP Browary Polskie, said imposing alcohol-style restrictions on non-alcoholic beer runs counter to the direction public health policy should take, because 0.0% beer allows consumers to keep the taste and the social ritual while giving up alcohol. Banning the advertising of a product that can replace alcohol, instead of supporting that choice, would be counterproductive, he said, adding that limiting the ability to inform consumers about 0.0% beers could hold back a category that answers a desirable shift in consumer behaviour — less alcohol and more conscious choices.
Volumes down, costs up
The regulatory debate lands on a sector already dealing with shrinking volumes. A separate industry interview published in the Polish trade press noted that fewer hectolitres sold does not automatically mean a smaller market in value terms. The problem starts where falling volume meets rising costs and limited room to raise prices, a combination that the interview described as making the Polish market particularly demanding.
For brewers, the 11.2% drop in alcoholic beer volumes and the 16.2% increase in the 0.0% segment set the commercial logic of the next few years: growth has to come from a category that is still being built with consumers. If the advertising restrictions cover non-alcoholic beer, the main tool for building that category — brand communication and product launches — would be narrowed at the same time as the core business contracts. The bills remain at the parliamentary stage, and the two drafts differ in scope, so the final treatment of 0.0% products is not yet settled.
