Are you looking at my pint?

Did you know that weights and measures inspectors were the forerunners to Trading Standards officers (TSOs)? Many TSOs still study and qualify as weights and measures inspectors, with the role encompassing the testing of equipment as diverse as machines filling thousands of tins of beans per hour, to 50 tonne weighbridges.

On a level that is more visible to the consumer, inspectors check equipment such as shop scales, petrol pumps and measures of alcohol.

With the price of goods increasing, and in some cases the amounts in packs decreasing, it is important for consumer confidence that declared weights and measures are accurate.

As well as Trading Standards inspectors carrying out routine checks, special projects are undertaken on specific subjects.

Earlier this year, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) invited local authority Trading Standards departments to take part in a survey looking at the accuracy of measures of beer and wine served to pub customers. Officers were asked to buy a pint of beer and a small glass of wine from licensed premises in the authority’s area. Once the purchases were made, the officers were then to say who they were and measure the amounts served using verified equipment and record the results.

The results would give a snapshot of the accuracy of the pint and wine measures served in pubs and raise awareness among consumers about the important role of Trading Standards weights and measures officers in ensuring they get what they pay for.

Nine local authority Trading Standards teams across the UK took part in the survey, with the following results:

● There were 96 short measures out of 137 test purchases, meaning approximately 70 per cent of the test purchases were short measured.

● Out of the short measures, 41 were at a deficit of five per cent or over – 29 per cent of all the 137 drinks tested.

● When broken down between beer and wine, it was noted that 86 per cent of beer was short measured, while 43 per cent of wine was found to be short measured.

● The largest short measure was a deficit of 15 per cent, found on a 175ml glass of wine.

● The average deficit for short-measured beer found in the survey was four per cent, while for wine it was five per cent. For the average beer drinker, this equates to a loss of £1.70 per week, or £88.40 per year, and for an average wine drinker in the UK this jumps to £2.20 per week and £114.40 per year.

Any measure of wine served should be as stated – for example, 175ml should be 175ml. However, although Section 43 of the Weights and Measures Act 1985 says that a pint of beer should be all liquid (that is, it should not include the froth), this section was never enacted and

was repealed in 1996. Industry guidelines state that the head on a pint of beer should not be more than five per cent of a pint, and customers are always at liberty to ask for a ‘top up’.

The disappointing results of the survey above could easily be avoided.

For those serving beer and wine, it is important that legally compliant equipment is employed and training received on how to use it correctly. Regional tastes can determine how much head is left on a pint of beer, and a top up should always be offered. Any dispute could be avoided by the use of oversized glasses with the liquid poured up to a ‘pint’ line.