Impact of bottle size on in‐home consumption of wine: a randomized controlled cross‐over trial

Abstract

Aim To assess the impact of purchasing wine in 50 cl bottles compared with 75 cl bottles on the amount of wine consumed at home. Design Cross‐over randomized controlled trial with a ‘usual behaviour’ period of a maximum of 3 weeks between conditions. Setting Households in the United Kingdom. Participants One hundred and eighty‐six households that consumed between two and eight 75 cl bottles of wine each week. Intervention Households were randomized to the order in which they purchased wine in two bottle sizes. During two 14‐day intervention periods, households purchased a pre‐set volume of wine—based on their baseline self‐reported weekly consumption—in either 75 cl bottles or 50 cl bottles. On days 7 and 14 of each study period, participating households sent photographs of each purchased wine bottle. Measurements The primary outcome was the volume of study wine in millilitres (ml) consumed during each study period estimated through returned photographs. The secondary outcome was the rate of consumption measured by the mean number of days taken to drink 1.5 litres from each bottle size. Findings One hundred and sixty‐six of 186 enrolled households satisfactorily completed the study. After accounting for pre‐specified covariates, 191.1 ml [95% confidence interval (CI) = 42.03–339.2] or 4.5% (95% CI = 1.0–7.9%) more wine was consumed per 14‐day period from 75‐cl bottles than from 50‐cl bottles. Consumption was 5.8% faster (95% CI = –10.9 to –0.4%) from 75 cl bottles than from 50 cl bottles. Conclusions Consuming wine at home from 50 cl bottles, compared with 75 cl bottles, may reduce both amount consumed and rate of consumption.

Size and shape of plates and size of wine glasses and bottles: impact on self-serving of food and alcohol

“…Finally, there was no effect of bottle size on pouring behaviour, which was not in line with the study hypothesis that larger bottles increase the volume poured. This hypothesis was, however, based on just one previous study [ 21 ] which found that wine consumption was higher from 75 cl bottles, compared to 50 cl bottles. The mechanisms for this effect are unknown but one possibility is that it may reflect the tendency for people to consume in ‘units’ [ 33 ], with one bottle—regardless of size—comprising one unit.…”

“…Two wine bottle sizes were used in the study: (i) 50 cl, (ii) 75 cl. The set of bottle sizes was informed by a recent randomised controlled trial assessing the impact of bottle size on wine consumption [ 21 ]. Both bottles contained the same wine, using a branded bottle to increase ecological validity (Isla Negra Sauvignon Blanc: 13.2% alcohol by volume (abv)).…”

“…Bottle size may also influence wine consumption. A recent randomised controlled trial [ 21 ] found that consuming wine at home from 50 cl bottles decreased the amount consumed by 4.5% and slowed the rate of consumption by almost 6% compared to consumption from 75 cl bottles. The mechanisms by which smaller bottles may reduce wine consumption are unknown.…”

Impact of Portion Control Tools on Portion Size Awareness, Choice and Intake: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…We did not specifically look at bottle size impact, but research has shown that large bottle sizes (i.e., 750 mL vs. 500 mL) increase consumption amount and drinking speed for wine [95]. However reduction of bottle size beyond a certain threshold may be counterproductive as people may end up consuming more bottles out of convenience and portability, amongst other reasons [96].…”

Changing behaviour: an essential component of tackling health inequalities

“…For example, reducing volume and speed of traffic and providing segregated infrastructure such as cycle lanes are associated with increased physical activity through cycling 38. Reducing the size of wine glasses and wine bottles reduces alcohol consumption 3940…”