British researchers from the prestigious University of Cambridge estimate that reducing the volume of a pint of beer by two thirds would reduce the volume consumed. A finding that has made some Britons jump.
Will the size of a pint of beer be reduced in England? This is what researchers from the University of Cambridge are recommending in a three-month study published on September 17, 2024.
In twelve pubs, the volume of a pint (568ml in England compared to 500ml in France) was reduced by two thirds for a month. Over this period, the total volume of beer fell by almost 10%.
“I feel like the British pint is just too big”
Scientists say consumers are thinking in terms of pints rather than alcohol volume. In January, a similar study concluded that wine sales would fall if the largest glass size, 250ml, was eliminated.
In 2020, 7,423 people died as a result of excessive alcohol consumption in England and Wales. This is an increase of around 20% on the previous year’s figures, according to the Office for National Statistics. It is the highest annual number of deaths recorded since the body began keeping records in 2001.
“Does this have the potential to contribute to population health? I would say yes, without a doubt,” Theresa Marteau, the study’s leader and director of the behaviour and health research unit at the University of Cambridge, told the Guardian.
Also in the Guardian, journalist Elle Hunt welcomed the study’s findings, calling for the two-thirds measure to be implemented. “Since moving to the UK in 2017, I’ve felt like the British pint is simply too big to enjoy comfortably,” she said.
An opinion that is far from unanimous. The conclusion of this study has caused a lot of reaction across the Channel. In a widely relayed post on X, the comedian Geoff Norcott shared the result of the study by commenting: “I have never been so close to protesting in front of the offices of a media.”
“The pints aren’t big enough, that’s why I always want another one,” one user responded. Consumers are still far from convinced.
