Diageo recalls new non-alcoholic Guinness in Britain due to contamination

LONDON (Reuters) - Diageo <DGE.L> recalled its non-alcoholic beer Guinness 0.0 in Britain on Wednesday due to "microbiological contamination", just over two weeks after launching the product into the competitive and growing market for non-alcoholic beer.

Guinness, the brewer based in Dublin, said on its website the recall was a "precautionary measure" due to contamination that it said might make some cans of Guinness 0.0 unsafe to consume.

"We are sorry that this has happened," the company said in a statement, adding that the issue did not affect any other Guinness variants or brands.

Guinness said last month it would launch the non-alcoholic beer in Britain from Oct. 26 at stores, and would make it available in pubs in Britain and Ireland from Spring 2021 before rolling it out to more markets around the world later in 2021.

The market for non-alcoholic beer has grown in recent years as many consumers drink less, prompting other big brands such as Budweiser and Heineken to launch alcohol-free versions of their beers.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Edmund Blair)