Reducing alcohol consumption is a global public health priority. Researchers investigated the effect of reducing the largest serving size of draught beer in England, typically the pint, on overall alcohol consumption (beer and wine). In the outlets studied, by reducing the largest serving size from a pint, 568 ml, to two-thirds of a pint, 379 ml, the daily volume of beer sold decreased by 9.7%. Although the total volume of wine sold increased by a corresponding 7.2% (from 4,707 ml to 4,822 ml), overall alcohol consumption was still reduced, indicating the potential benefit of this strategy. Credit: Anne-Lise Paris, (www.in-graphidi.com), PLOS, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Reducing portion sizes of beer, lager and cider reduces the volume of these drinks consumed in pubs, bars and restaurants, and could be a useful alcohol control measure, according to a study published September 17 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.
Theresa Marteau and colleagues at the University of Cambridge in the UK found that over a short intervention period, venues that eliminated the pint and instead offered two-thirds pints sold 10% less beer by volume than when pints were available.
When wine by the glass is offered in smaller portions, the quantity sold decreases, but similar studies have not looked at the effect on other alcoholic beverages. Marteau and his colleagues contacted establishments in England and asked them to eliminate the pint portion and instead offer two-thirds as the largest option for four weeks, with four-week nonintervention periods before and after for comparison.
The team found that removing the pint reduced the average daily volume of beer, lager and cider sold by 9.7%, although the amount of wine purchased increased slightly, with one pub contributing half of the increase in wine sales. They report that while customers did not complain, less than 1% of the premises contacted agreed to participate and the intervention only involved 12 premises.
Further evaluation is needed, particularly to determine whether people fully compensated for their reduction in beer consumption by drinking other alcoholic beverages, but this intervention deserves consideration for inclusion in alcohol control policies. Smaller portion sizes could help reduce alcohol consumption in the general population and thereby reduce the risk of seven cancers and other diseases.
The authors added: “Removing the supply of pints from 13 licensed premises for four weeks reduced the volume of beer sold. This is consistent with new research showing that smaller portions help us drink less and is a new way to reduce alcohol consumption and improve population 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
Provided by the Public Library of Science
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