The British pint could be under threat as scientists are urging boozers to downsize their glasses amid a battle to reduce the country’s alcohol intake.
Beer-bashing boffins axed full-sized drinks in a study of drinkers – and found they bought 10 per cent less when they were served measures that were two thirds of the size they are used to.
And the analytical killjoys now want the scheme to be rolled out across the country as part of licensing legislation, as they say the effects would have a meaningful impact on public health on a population level.
Brits drink beer through one of the largest standard serving sizes in the world, with the imperial pint almost a third bigger than its American cousin.
At 568ml, the trusty pint also outweighs the standard serving size in Belgium (250ml), France (330ml) and even Germany (500ml).
But fears of the affect alcohol may be having on the UK has sparked fears for health experts – with the Institute for Public Policy Research suggesting that UK deaths attributable to alcohol have risen by seven per cent in five years.
Latest NHS figures show that 23 per cent of women aged 55-64 drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week — the amount known to dramatically increase cancer risk, and chances of developing dependency.
Lead researcher Professor Theresa Marteau, director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit, told : ‘Alcohol harms health, increasing the risk of over 200 different diseases and injuries including bowel, breast and liver cancers.
‘In England it is the fifth largest contributor to early death, disease and disability, and the leading risk factor for those aged 15 to 49.’
The study, which took place over four weeks, saw a dozen UK pubs and bars selling their beers in two thirds of a pint. The price punters paid was proportionate to the reduced size.
But – as less than one per cent of approached pubs agreed to take part in the experiment – Professor Dame Marteau added that the measures ‘would need to be part of licensing regulation’ to make sure people complied.
Since increasing the price of drinks or placing restrictions on beer sales would prove extremely unpopular, concerned scientists are keen to find other ways of slowing drinkers down.
The idea of the scheme is that, since people tend to have a set number of drinks rather than a specific volume of beer, making those drinks smaller should encourage people to drink less.
The study took place over three four-week periods, first selling pints as normal, then switching to smaller servings, and finally returning to business as usual.
And, as the researchers had predicted, the mean volume of beer sold fell noticeably in the four weeks when pints weren’t available.
On average, the 12 venues in the study sold just under five fewer pints (2.77 litres) of beer and cider per day when pint glasses were removed.
While the researchers had anticipated that customers would be extremely hostile to the change, the venues involved reported very few complaints.
The amount of wine sold during the trial period did increase slightly, rising by 7.2 per cent on average, but almost half of this increase was from one venue which also acted as a restaurant.
Professor Marteau and her co-authors write: ‘Removing the offer of pints in 13 licensed premises for 4 weeks reduced the volume of beer sold.
‘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.’
While the researchers argue that this could be an effective way of reducing the health impacts of drinking, they acknowledge that pubs are unlikely to be keen on the idea.
Despite being offered £3,000 to compensate for the losses and all of the smaller glasses needed, less than one per cent of venues contacted about the trial agreed to participate.
During the trial period, the venue’s mean daily revenue fell by five per cent due to the drop in beer sales
The total drop in weekly revenue varied from just £3.70 to £146.60 depending on the venue.
And, when the trial was complete, none of the bars involved kept their maximum serving size at two-thirds.
Since pubs are unlikely to adopt this measure voluntarily, the researchers therefore suggest that the regulation would be needed to ban the pint.
Professor Marteau says: ‘Removing the one pint serving size would need to be enforced by changes to alcohol licensing regulations which stipulate the sizes in which alcohol is served.’
However, with many pubs struggling to stay open, many may be concerned about any legislation designed to bring down sales.
A spokesperson for the British Beer and Pub Association told : ‘Measures to reduce alcohol consumption must be carefully thought through as this study showed a decrease in beer volume was accompanied by a slight increase in the purchase of higher strength alcoholic drinks.’
Ash Corbett Collines, vice-chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), told : ‘With less than 1% of venues approached for the study agreed to trial the smaller measure, and none of the 12 pubs who did take part choosing to keep the change, the on-trade’s verdict is clear.
‘The removal of the British Pint from pubs would not encourage drinkers to embrace the sociable and supervised environment of the pub, which fosters moderate drinking. Instead, it would push people toward drinking at home.’
Likewise, Andy Slee, chief executive of the Society of Independent Brewers, told : ‘It should be down to publicans, brewers and beer drinkers to decide the best way to enjoy a local beer.’
However, despite the obvious resistance to the introduction of the policy, the researchers maintain that their findings should be included in consideration for new regulations.
Professor Marteau says: ‘There is a trade-off to be made between improving population health by reducing alcohol consumption through effective alcohol control policies and the health of the alcohol industry.’