Pour Decisions: Cambridge Study Advocates for Smaller Wine Glasses in Bars to Curb Drinking
A Cambridge study indicates that smaller wine glasses may be the answer to more moderate drinking habits. (Photo: Pixabay/Pexels)
A study conducted by the University of Cambridge suggests that removing the largest glass of wine (250 ml) from sale in pubs and bars resulted in a 7.6% reduction in the total amount of wine people consumed, as the BBC reported last week.
The trial, conducted in 21 establishments, showed that customers purchased more 125- and 175-ml glasses of wine, maintaining the same overall amount of wine sold by the bottle but reducing the daily volume of wine sold. The researchers believe that the strategy of removing larger glasses should be considered for trial by licensing authorities, as it may help reduce alcohol consumption.
The study’s lead author, Prof. Dame Theresa Marteau, emphasized the impact of environmental cues on people’s behavior, stating that individuals are sensitive to the size of containers and serving sizes.
“What it tells us is that people are very sensitive to cues in their environment,” Marteau explained, per the report. “People are sensitive to the size of containers and serving size. And these have tended to get bigger and so we’ve consumed more.”
“So the focus of my research group is on whether or not we can reverse-engineer our environments to see whether we can reduce our consumption to improve everybody’s health.”
Marteau suggested that reversing environmental cues, such as serving smaller portions, could potentially reduce overall consumption and improve public health. Financial considerations, such as the value for money offered by smaller glasses, were also identified as factors influencing customers’ choices.
“A 250-ml glass of wine usually costs less than the cost of two 125-ml glasses,” she added. “Value for money is therefore likely to be one factor influencing a decision to buy larger rather than smaller glasses of wine.”
“It does seem quite a relatively simple way of reducing the amount of alcohol that we’re consuming, often without our awareness.”
While some pub managers reported customer satisfaction with smaller glasses, there were also complaints from some customers who missed the option of a 250-ml measure. The Daily Mail reported that critics of the study argued that the sample size of 21 sites over the course of a year is not statistically significant enough to draw broader conclusions about the hospitality sector and alcohol consumption. Some expressed concerns about restricting consumer choice and believe that the decision to offer smaller glasses should be left to individual establishments.
The study also attempted a similar experiment with beer, aiming to replace the standard 568-ml pint with a smaller two-thirds-of-a-pint measure. However, no pub or bar out of the 2,000 contacted was willing to participate in this part of the study.
Public health officials and industry groups continue to emphasize responsible drinking, and the study’s authors suggest that even a small reduction in alcohol consumption could contribute to population health.
Find the complete Cambridge study investigating the effects of eliminating the largest wine glass serving size on wine sales here.
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