ACROSS 21 licensed premises in England, removing the largest individual serving size of wine from the menu reduced the volume of wine sold, according to a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
Alcohol consumption is the fifth largest contributor to premature death and disease globally, a fact that pharmacists know only too well.
The University of Cambridge researchers asked premises to remove their usual 250ml size wine serving from their menus for four weeks and then tracked the total volume of wine, beer and cider sold by each establishment.
Over the course of the four weeks, the total volume of wine sold by the licensed premises decreased by 7.6%; there was no overall increase in beer and cider sales, and no change in daily revenue, likely reflecting an increased profit margin from selling smaller glasses of wine.
Overall, the study suggested that when the largest serving of wine was not available, people shifted towards the smaller options and ultimately drank less alcohol.
The study authors suggested "removing the largest serving size of wine by the glass in 21 licensed premises reduced the volume of wine sold, in keeping with the wealth of research showing smaller serving sizes reduce how much we eat".
"This could become a novel intervention to improve population health by reducing how much we drink."
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