Groceries to be allowed to sell beverage with 8% alcohol

The government has taken an initiative to reform Alcohol Act allowing grocery stores to sale of beverages containing 8 per cent alcohol, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release on Thursday.

The draft of the amendment to the law is being circulated for comments until 23 November 2023 and the proposed act is scheduled to enter into force in spring 2024.

At present, retail trade licences can be granted for the sale of alcoholic beverages containing up to 5.5 per cent alcohol by volume.

The proposed amendment would also allow the sale of alcoholic beverages produced by fermentation and containing 5.5 –8.0 per cent alcohol.

According to the Programme of the four-party alliance right-wing government, Finland’s alcohol policy will be reformed in a responsible manner to make it more in line with the alcohol policy in other European countries, and it will also continue the comprehensive reform of the Alcohol Act carried out in 2018.

Finland reformed alcohol laws in 2018 allowing grocery stores to sell beer containing 5.5% alcohol from the previous 4.7 percent alcohol.