Reducing alcohol consumption is a global public health priority. Researchers examined the effect of reducing the largest portion of draft beer in England, usually the pint, on total alcohol consumption (beer and wine). In the drinking establishments surveyed, where the largest portion size of a pint, 568ml, was reduced to a two-thirds pint, 379ml, the daily volume of beer sold fell by 9.7%. Although the total volume of wine sold saw a corresponding increase of 7.2% (from 4,707 ml to 4,822 ml), total alcohol consumption still decreased, indicating the potential benefit of this strategy. Credit: Anne-Lise Parijs, (www.in-graphidi.com), PLOS, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Reducing portion sizes for beer, lager and cider reduces the volume of drinks consumed in pubs, bars and restaurants and could be a useful alcohol control measure, according to research published in the open access journal on September 17 published. PLOS medicine.
Theresa Marteau and colleagues from the University of Cambridge, UK, found that venues that scrapped the pint and instead offered two-thirds of pints sold 10% less beer over a short intervention period compared to when pints were available.
When wine by the glass is offered in smaller portions, the quantity sold decreases, but similar studies have not examined the effect on other alcoholic beverages. Marteau and colleagues approached sites in England and asked them to drop the pint portion size and instead offer two-thirds as the largest option for four weeks, with four-week non-intervention periods before and after for comparison.
The team found that removing the pint reduced the daily average volume of beer, lager and cider sold by 9.7%, although there was a slight increase in the amount of wine purchased, with one pub contributing half of the increase in wine sales. They report that although customers did not complain, less than 1% of locations approached agreed to participate and only twelve locations were involved in the intervention.
Further research is needed, especially to determine whether people have fully compensated for reduced beer consumption by drinking other alcoholic beverages, but the intervention deserves consideration for inclusion in alcohol control policies. Smaller portions could help reduce alcohol consumption among the population and therefore reduce the risk of seven forms of cancer and other diseases.
The authors add: “Cutting the supply of pints in 13 drinking establishments for four weeks reduced the amount of beer sold. This is consistent with emerging literature showing that smaller portions help us drink less and are a new way to reduce alcohol consumption. and improving public health.”
More information:
Mantzari E, et al. Impact on beer sales of removing the pint portion: an ABA reversal trial in pubs, bars and restaurants in England. PLoS medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004442
Quote: Reducing the size of the pint reduces beer sales by almost 10%, according to research (2024, September 17), retrieved on September 19, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-pint-beer-sales. html
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