It works with beer, but not with wine. And the ‘trick’ could be a key to reducing overall beer consumption. Which experts say would reduce the harm caused to drinkers, the health care system that looks after them, and society as a whole…
It sounds like simple arithmetic. Fewer oz. / ml per serving, less alcohol consumed. But there are multiple dimensions to the notion. As well as some unsuspected factors rooted in the notoriously quirky realm of human nature…
Intriguing findings
When you hear the phrase ‘a pint’ as a synonym for ‘a beer’, you know you’re in the UK. And that is, indeed, the case today, as we review a new study by researchers at the University of Cambridge (UK). They’ve discovered some interesting facts about drinkers’ bar-side percep-tions and ordering tendencies.
What were they thinking?
In the UK a ‘legal pint’ is mandated by alcohol service regulations as 20 fl. oz. / 568 ml. British beer mugs and glasses all have a ‘fair pint’ mark etched or moulded into the container, up near the rim. The container must contain clear, liquid beer up to that mark to be a legal ‘full measure’. Above that, there’s usually plenty of room for the traditional frothy ‘head’.
But the researchers wondered if 20 oz. was a lot for one serving. They had already theorized that it would be a good idea if the standard pint was smaller…
The study report states: “This is in keeping with the emerging literature showing that smaller serving sizes help us drink less and presents a novel way of reducing alcohol consumption and improving population health.”
What they did
In a rare move for lab scientists, the Cambridge team went directly into 12 local pubs and temporarily changed the menu.
Theresa Marteau and colleagues asked them to remove the pint serving size and instead offer two thirds as the largest option for four weeks, with four-week non-intervention periods before and after as a comparison. That translated to a reduction in volume per serving of 6.6 oz. / 187 ml.
Traditional ‘halfs’ – half-pint mugs and glasses – were not tampered with.
What they found
The team found that removing the traditional full pint reduced the daily mean volume of beer, lager and cider sold by 9.7 percent. However, there was a slight increase in the amount of wine purchased.
On the whole, patrons didn’t grouse too much over the temporary change – even though they weren’t told at the time that it was temporary.
The researchers say many drinkers consumed the same number of 2/3 pint servings of beer as they would normally have if ordering full pints.
The takeaway
Marleau and company say further assessment is needed, particularly into whether people compen-sated for reduced beer consumption by drinking other alcoholic drinks. But the intervention merits consideration for inclusion in alcohol control policies.
Smaller serving sizes could contribute towards reducing alcohol consumption across populations and thereby decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, seven cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes and other afflictions.
My take
Who knew it would be so simple – and apparently painless – to mandate a significant reduction in beer consumption? And that human nature, for once, would work to the scheme’s advantage?
Sometimes the best ‘intervention’ is the simplest – and it’s right there, under our proverbial noses…
~ Maggie J.