A recent trial involving 21 pubs, bars, and restaurants in England suggests that removing the largest glass of wine from sale cuts the total amount of alcohol people drink by 7.6%. The trial, which lasted four weeks, saw the largest measure of wine, 250ml equivalent to a third of a bottle, removed from the menu. The establishments sold more 125ml and 175ml glasses of wine instead, meaning that customers bought the same amount of wine by the bottle, but overall, less volume of wine was sold daily. The sales of beer and cider remained the same, and the venues’ overall takings were unaffected.
The researchers from the University of Cambridge suggest that “value for money” was likely to have been a factor in the drop in the amount of wine sold. “A 250ml glass of wine usually costs less than the cost of two 125 ml glasses. Value for money is therefore likely to be one factor influencing a decision to buy larger rather than smaller glasses of wine,” says Prof Dame Theresa Marteau, the study’s lead author.
The trial result is “in keeping” with existing evidence that people eat less if served smaller portions of food, according to Dame Theresa. “People are sensitive to the size of containers and serving size,” she said. “And these have tended to get bigger, and so we’ve consumed more. So the focus of my research group is on whether or not we can reverse-engineer our environments to see whether we can reduce our consumption to improve everybody’s health. Financial constraints were also likely to have affected drinkers’ behaviour, according to her.
Most of the customers at the pubs, bars, and restaurants who were a part of the trial were happy with the smaller glasses of wine, according to the licensees of these establishments. It was also noted that many of the customers stuck to the smaller measures even after the trial had ended.
Regular or heavy drinking is a contributing factor in many diseases, causing three million deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization. The UK’s Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines recommend not regularly exceeding 14 units of alcohol a week, and the Department of Health and Social Care continues to promote the guidelines in England, online and by encouraging producers to include them on alcoholic drinks labels
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