Research found pub-goers didn’t complain when their pints were shrunk
The government has been urged to shrink the size of ‘pints’ of beer to help the nation’s health.
Ever since the 17th century, Britain’s preferred measure for beer and ales has been the imperial measure of a pint. The equivalent of 568ml, this is larger than the typical servings you would get in the US (473ml), Belgium (250ml, France (330ml) and Germany (500ml).
But a new study has called on the government to change this, and ban beer from being served in pints across the land.
Researchers from Cambridge University found that beer consumption dropped by 10 per cent when pubs served beer in glasses two-thirds of the size of a pint.
The academics have said this could be enough to have a positive impact on the health of Brits, helping reduce the risk of some cancers and other health issues related to drinking.
They have called on the government to stop serving beer in pints as a result.
The study, which was carried out at 12 pubs, found that punters tend to stick to a specific number of drinks, no matter the size they are served in.
Customers didn’t complain about the two-thirds-of-a-pint measure, whilst the average number of units sold at the participating venues fell by around 8 per cent.
The equivalent of nearly five fewer pints of beer and cider were sold per day on average at the pubs when the serving sizes were shrunk.
Meanwhile, there was a 7 per cent increase in the amount of wine purchased.
Former Tory cabinet minister Lord Vaizey told the BBC that he thought the pint-shrinking was a “good idea” that should not be “dismissed out of hand.”
He told Politics Live that pubs would be offering “people what looks like a pint, feels like a pint but isn’t a pint which means you end up drinking perhaps less and get healthier”.
However, the Labour government have said there are no plans to outlaw beer being sold in pints.
One of Sir Keir Starmer’s allies, Labour MP Josh Simons, told the BBC: “I love a pint and leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer loves a pint.
“Pubs are places where people come together – they are public goods in a sense.”
He added that he was “not comfortable” with the government controlling glass sizes, saying pints of beer are “what it means to be drinking in a British pub.”
