Campaigners say ‘super-strength subsidy’ puts pressure on the NHS, as some ciders cost same as apple juice
Supermarkets such as Tesco, Aldi and Lidl are exploiting a tax loophole to produce and sell cheap cider that harms health and causes social problems, alcohol campaigners have claimed.
Over recent years, ciders – sometimes containing as much as 7.5% alcohol – have become cheaper or barely risen in price, despite the cost of beer, wine and spirits soaring, according to research by Alcohol Change UK.
Supermarkets are able to sell high-strength ciders at “pocket money prices” by taking advantage of a subsidy intended to boost apple production, Alcohol Change UK says.
It means that the cheapest cider Tesco sells – Compton Orchard, which is 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) – now costs the same as the supermarket’s own-brand apple juice, at just £1 a litre. While the apple juice has risen 70% in cost since 2020, the cheapest cider costs 2.4% less now than the equivalent product then.
