Will the 8 percent Pirkka beer come to stores? This is Kesko’s answer – 2024-03-14 03:11:27

The government proposes to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages made by fermentation at a maximum of 8 percent in grocery stores.

– Yes, the introduction of 8% products brings a whole new opportunity for consumers to enjoy these milder products, Kesko’s director of purchasing and sales Aki Erkkilä says Iltalehte.

– We do not think that this will increase the total consumption of alcohol, because the trend has been to move towards milder products all along, says Erkkilä.

8% Pirkka beer “is not in the plans for the first phase”, says Erkkilä.

– Of course, it is constantly being evaluated as to what kind of change the law will turn out to be.

– If you compare to the previous reform of the alcohol law, on the first day we didn’t have Pirkka 5.2% beer, but later it was brought in when we saw that it would become profitable.

Kesko’s purchasing and sales director Aki Erkkilä does not believe that allowing the sale of stronger alcoholic beverages in grocery stores would increase overall alcohol consumption. Pete Anikari

Stronger drinks than before

– Another riesling, was it just as sweet? someone asks.

Kesko presented its selection of 8% wines to journalists on Tuesday. There was a buzz when the wines were tasted.

– The quality of the products is surprisingly good, Erkkilä assures.

At Kesko’s event, the focus is on mild wines, not strong beers or ciders, even if the legal reform envisioned by Petteri Orpo’s (kok) government would bring those to grocery store shelves. Strong tentacles would keep the doors closed.

The law reform would improve the availability of stronger alcoholic beverages. By focusing on mild wines, Kesko turns the conversation the other way around – in fact, the availability of “mild” drinks would improve.

– There is a shift towards milder alcoholic beverages, Erkkilä says at the event.

Wouldn’t the law reform be a step in the other direction, when you could get even stronger beer, cider or wine from the convenience store?

– It’s probably a matter of perspective, in which direction. If we look at the general development in Finnish alcohol use, the steps are all the time in a milder direction, Erkkilä answers.

Disadvantages of alcohol?

According to the statement of the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), the legal reform’s “effects on the total consumption of alcohol would be in the wrong direction in terms of alcohol harms”.

According to THL, expanding the sale of even stronger alcoholic beverages would expose, among other things, risk users “and other vulnerable groups” to sales promotion and the harms of alcohol.

– From the point of view of alcohol harm, Kesko cannot take a position, but the previous reform already showed that the total consumption of alcohol continued to decrease, says Erkkilä.

Kesko refers to the 2018 reform of the alcohol law, which allowed the sale of 5.5% alcoholic beverages in grocery stores.

According to THL, the reform of the 2018 alcohol law had a negative impact on public health.