A sobering discovery has led to Cambridge University academics calling on the government to stop serving beer in pints to reduce Britain’s alcohol intake.
A study found that beer consumption dropped by 10% when pubs shelved pint glasses and served customers with glasses two thirds the size instead.
That could be enough to make an impact in the fight against several forms of cancer and other health issues linked to excessive drinking, researchers argued.
The government has no plans to remove pints as the largest serving size of draught beer, but former Tory cabinet minister Lord Vaizey told the BBC he thought it was “a good idea” that should not be “dismissed out of hand”.
Speaking on BBC Two’s Politics Live, the former culture secretary said 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”.
Researchers found drinkers tend to stick to a specific number of servings when drinking at a pub, regardless of size.
And at 568ml the imperial pint – Britain’s preferred measure for ales since the 17th century – is larger than typical servings in the US (473ml), Belgium (250ml), France (330ml), and Germany (500ml).
In a similar trial in January, wine sales fell when the largest glass size, typically 250ml, was scrapped.
Researchers asked more than 1,700 pubs, bars and restaurants to participate in a trial to say if the same trick worked for beer.
Only 13 accepted, despite compensation offers for lost sales.
The study found customers did not complain about the smaller beer measures and on average venues found number of units of alcohol that were sold fell by about 8%.
Of the 12 pubs in the final study, an average of nearly five fewer pints (2.77 litres) of beer and cider were sold per day when pint glasses were replaced.
There was a 7% increase in the amount of wine purchased.
Labour MP Josh Simons – an ally of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer – said he would not back any plans to remove pints as the top measure of drinks.
Speaking to the BBC he said: “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.”
Simons said he was “not comfortable” with the government dictating glass sizes.
Pints were “what it means to be drinking in a British pub,” he added.
During the election campaign Labour promised a greater emphasis on encouraging healthier lifestyles including tackling obesity, smoking, and alcohol-related harm – alongside shifting the focus of the NHS from treating illness to preventing it.
Sir Keir has confirmed the government is looking at tougher rules on smoking in pub gardens and other outside spaces to reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco use.
But on Wednesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting insisted Labour did not want to be the “fun police”.
Speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank, Streeting said he would make changes “with people” and not “to people”.
