Pints ​​of beer and glasses of wine are not full enough in the UK, study finds

A British study shows that 70% of glasses of alcohol served in the country are not sufficiently filled. A loss which amounts to more than 130 euros for regular drinkers.

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Two pints of beer in a bar.  (JOEL PHILIPPON / MAXPPP)

A pint of beer corresponds to 56.8 centiliters and a glass of wine to 17.5 centiliters. With these precise measures, investigators from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, a consumer protection organization, placed orders 137 times across the country. The result of their study, published Friday May 24, is eloquent: 96 times, beer or wine was missing from their glass. According to the organization, an average of 4% was missing for a pint of beer and 5% for a glass of wine.

They therefore made a calculation over the year and for a regular consumer, the damage represents 90 to 130 euros. During this investigation, a bar in Walsall, near Birmingham, served less than 15 centiliters of wine for a glass costing almost 4 euros. It was therefore missing 15% of what had been paid, the “deficit” the largest observed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

“I feel robbedexclaims Chris, a resident of north London. I regularly go to the pub with friends or to watch football matches. Now I go to check every time I get a pint and God knows I drink it over the course of a year. The places where I have my habits, I am offered one from time to time, I imagine that it compensates but still, I will be more attentive.”

This matter is taken very seriously by the Campaign for real ale, an association of pub customers and beer enthusiasts which claims 150,000 members. “For anything that is missing, ask the bartender for an immediate top-up. You have every right to do so, the staff must comply and respond to this request. If you get a negative reaction when you do this, you can report the incident.”

This year, the average cost of a lager has increased by 5.6% in the UK, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics. Under these conditions, customers are becoming even more careful about filling their glass, every drop counts.


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