200th Anniversary of the Pint: Study calls for the pint to shrink
A study by Cambridge University has led academics to call on the Government to stop serving beer in pints, and to rather reduce serving sizes to two thirds of a pint, in order to try and reduce Britain’s alcohol intake. The study itself, found that beer consumption dropped by 10% when pubs served glasses two thirds the size of a pint glass. As a result, researchers have said that a drop that size could make an impact in the fight against severe forms of cancer and other health issues linked to drinking in large amounts.
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00:00We're at the 200th anniversary of the pint coming into legal measure, and so we want
00:07to keep hold of that as much as possible.
00:09What we don't like is the idea of taking choice away from people.
00:15One of the most important things that people can have is the choice of how much they drink,
00:19and Canberra supports the range of sizes of glasses.
00:23Pubs are already serving drinks in thirds and halves, two-thirds pints, and then multiples
00:30In 2022, it was reported that the UK has one of the world's highest levels of alcohol consumption
00:36per capita.
00:38Brits reportedly drink an average of 9.7 litres of alcohol per person per year, which equates
00:43to around 108 bottles of wine.
00:45Even just the phrase going for a pint is so ubiquitous in this country that I think the
00:50idea that it wouldn't then result in you having a pint of liquid at the end of it would be
00:55a really strange one, and I would hate to lose that in this country.
00:59The study itself showed that the 12 venues, I think it was, that were asked to take part
01:03in the study, none chose to continue with it.
01:05Yes, they saw a reduction in the sale of alcohol and consumption of alcohol.
01:10I don't think that's good for the industry.
01:12The pub industry and all the hospitality industry is still struggling right through 2024, and
01:17I suspect into 2025.
01:19As I mentioned, the cost of just running a business these days is incredibly high.
01:25Utility bills are still incredibly high for many businesses, particularly the hospitality
01:29trade.
01:30They've got so many other costs going on.
01:32And then they're being hit from the other side in that consumers just have fewer pounds
01:36in their pocket to spend on discretionary funds, such as going to the pub.
01:40In regards to the pub sector, new research has revealed that in the first half of 2024,
01:4550 pubs closed every month.
01:47I asked how the industry is coping at the moment amid this news.
01:51It's really important that we find a balance between keeping the pub affordable, but also
01:55ensuring that publicans and breweries are able to make a living out of this industry.