Seventy-eight Per Cent of  Bulgarians Prefer to Drink  Beer - Union of Brewers in Bulgaria

Sofia, July 16 (BTA) - Beer is the preferred drink of 78 per
cent of Bulgarians, the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) said
at its annual news conference Thursday. The organization noted
that the beer made in Bulgaria is the most preferred despite the
 increasing import from EU and third countries, which amounted
to 466,000 hectolitres in 2014.

A total of 5,230,000 hl of beer were sold on the Bulgarian
market last year, down by 5 per cent from 2013. The consumption
per capita is 72 l, or 218 glasses of 0.33 l, which is a
decrease by 2 l compared to a year earlier. PET bottles were the
 most sold, 59 per cent, while beer on tap had the lowest share,
 5 per cent. For the first time in 15 years, a drop was reported
 in the sales of plastic bottles.

The share of sales in the HoReCa sector (hotels, restaurants and
 cafes) and in shops amounted to 20 and 80 per cent,
respectively.

The UBB members said the national budget received 71 million
leva from excise duties and 51 million leva from VAT in 2014.

UBB Executive Director Ivana Radomirova said that at present
they are not obliged to provide nutrition facts on beer labels,
which currently state only the alcohol content. The companies
producing beer provide additional information on a voluntary
basis. Radomirova said that most probably the branch will start
using nutrition labeling from next year.

The recommended dose of daily beer consumption is 500 ml for
women and up to 1.2 litre for men up to 5 times a week, the UBB
said.