Secret to cutting alcohol intake may lie in limiting drinkers’ choice to small glasses

FOR those who prefer their glass of wine to be of the fishbowl-sized variety, it could be time to drink up.

University of Cambridge scientists have found that removing the biggest measures in pubs reduces customers’ alcohol intake to healthier levels without hurting sales.

A trial in 20 UK venues revealed that removing the largest glass of wine – often a 250ml option – from the menu cuts alcohol intake by eight per cent without damaging the bottom line of the public house.

Three sizes of wine are often available – 250ml, 175ml and 125ml – but when only smaller servings are available, customers were found to not compensate for it by ordering more glasses.

“It looks like when the largest serving size of wine by the glass was unavailable, people shifted towards the smaller options, but didn’t then drink the equivalent amount of wine,” said Dr Eleni Mantzari, the study’s first author.

“People tend to consume a specific number of ‘units’ – in this case, glasses – regardless of portion size. So, someone might decide at the outset they’ll limit themselves to a couple of glasses of wine, and with less alcohol in each glass, they drink less overall.”

The experts suggest that even a small reduction in how much alcohol people drink could make a meaningful contribution to the health of the population. Alcohol consumption is the fifth largest contributor to premature death and disease worldwide.

Data from the study, carried out between Sept 2021 and May 2022 and published in PLOS Medicine, found that removing the largest wine glass serving led to an average decrease of 420ml of wine sold per day per venue – a 7.6 per cent decrease.

The scientists also found no evidence people were making up for drinking less wine by buying more beer or cider. According to the findings, there was no evidence it affected total daily revenues, implying that participating licensed premises did not lose money as a result of changing the menu and selling less wine.

It is possible this stemmed from the higher profit margins on smaller serving sizes compensating for the decrease in alcohol consumed, the experts suggest.

Prof Dame Theresa Marteau, the study’s senior author and an honorary fellow at Christ’s College, Cambridge, said: “It’s worth remembering that no level of alcohol consumption is considered safe for health, with even light consumption contributing to the development of many cancers.

“Although the reduction in the amount of wine sold at each premises was relatively small, even a small reduction could make a meaningful contribution to population health.”