Impact on beer sales of removing the pint serving size: An A-B-A reversal trial in pubs, bars, and restaurants in England

Abstract

Background Smaller serving sizes could contribute towards reducing alcohol consumption across populations and thereby decrease the risk of 7 cancers and other diseases. To our knowledge, the current study is the first to assess the impact on beer, lager, and cider sales (hereafter, for ease, referred to just as “beer sales”) of removing the largest draught serving size (1 imperial pint) from the options available in licensed premises under real-word conditions. Methods and findings The study was conducted between February and May 2023, in 13 licensed premises in England. It used an A-B-A reversal design, set over 3 consecutive 4-weekly periods with “A” representing the nonintervention periods during which standard serving sizes were served, and “B” representing the intervention period when the largest serving size of draught beer (1 imperial pint (568 ml)) was removed from existing ranges so that the largest size available was two-thirds of a pint. Where two-third pints were not served, the intervention included introducing this serving size in conjunction with removing the pint serving size. The primary outcome was the mean daily volume of all beer sold, including draught, bottles, and cans (in ml), extracted from electronic sales data. Secondary outcomes were mean daily volume of wine sold (ml) and daily revenue (£). Thirteen premises completed the study, 12 of which did so per protocol and were included in the primary analysis. After adjusting for prespecified covariates, the intervention resulted in a mean daily change of −2,769 ml (95% CI [−4,188, −1,578] p < 0.001) or −9.7% (95% CI [−13.5%, −6.1%] in beer sold. The daily volume of wine sold increased during the intervention period by 232 ml (95% CI [13, 487], p = 0.035) or 7.2% (95% CI [0.4%, 14.5%]). Daily revenues decreased by 5.0% (95% CI [9.6%, −0.3%], p = 0.038). Conclusions Removing the largest serving size (the imperial pint) for draught beer reduced the volume of beer sold. Given the potential of this intervention to reduce alcohol consumption, it merits consideration in alcohol control policies. Trial registration ISRCTN.com ISRCTN18365249.