“Two-Thirds” of a Pint, is it the Way Forward?

Freshers’ week is over but the talk on pints continues following a recent study by Cambridge University which called on the Government to stop serving beer in pints to reduce the UK’s alcohol intake. According to the study, removing pint glasses could reduce beer sales by up to 10%, and the UK could see wider public health benefits. Currently, alcohol is the fifth largest contributor to early death and disease across the world and was estimated it caused 3 million deaths worldwide in 2016.

The report estimates that removing the pint glass would mean a 9.7% decrease in the mean volume of beer, lager, and cider sold daily. The study was undertaken in 13 pubs in England where two-thirds of a pint was served during a period of 4 weeks between February and May 2023. During the same period, the study researched the effects of removing the largest measurement of wine (250ml), but found no evidence that it decreased alcohol consumption to the same extent as introducing two-thirds pints.

Some goverments are already acting on this idea. In Scotland, the tax on alcohol has just increased to 65p from 50p, meaning that the minimum charge for alcohol is 65p. Since 2020, Wales has introduced a 50p tax on alcohol; in England, the tax depends on the alcoholic volume.

If these further recommendations are taken further, the UK might shrink the pint size to two-thirds of a pint. Smaller sized pints aren’t unheard of, however, with Australia’s popular schooner which measures 425ml. Truly, the UK’s 568ml pint is among the largest servings in the world, as Germans prefer a 500ml measure, French favour a 330ml measure and Belgium 250ml.

Even in the US, where food and drink is famoulsy much bigger compared to European counterparts, their pint size is in fact smaller than ours at 473ml. Professor Dame Theresa Marteau, the professor leading the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at Cambridge University stated that “the less we drink [alcohol] the better our health”. She insisted shrinking ‘pint’ sizes would be “beneficial both to the nation’s health and the health of individuals”.

It is stressed, at this time, this is only a recommendation and is not due to be implemented soon (if at all) but there are many questions to be answered before justifying this change.