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100% Liquid - Demand An Honest Pint
Getting what you pay for is a basic consumer right. Whether you are buying bread, potatoes, petrol or thousands of other everyday products, a kilogram should be a kilogram, a litre should be a litre, and a pint should be a pint. It's fair to expect that when you order a pint of beer in a pub you should get exactly that - 100% liquid - an honest pint. Unfortunately, because of loopholes in the law, the reality is quite different.
Research carried out by Trading Standards Officers shows that many pubs serve short measures. The results are startling. 8 out of 10 pints served are less than 100% liquid. The average liquid served is less than 95% of a pint. Short measure is costing drinkers over £1 million every day.
The huge majority of publicans are honest people who work hard to keep their customers happy. But some unscrupulous pub companies place unreasonable demands on pub managers to get as much beer from a barrel as possible to increase profits. The only way to achieve this is by serving short measures.
The British Beer and Pubs Association, which represents the pubs industry, denies that there are consumer complaints and thinks it is acceptable to serve 95% liquid pints and give a top-up only to those who demand it.
CAMRA, the beer consumer's champion, believes this is unacceptable and there is a clear need for consumers to be protected in law. If you are served a short measure you should ask the bar person for a top-up, which they should give with good grace. CAMRA thinks this is an unsatisfactory solution to a growing problem. In a busy pub on a Friday night, it would cause chaos if everyone asked for a top-up.
We believe the law must be changed so that it is the publican's responsibility to serve you a full liquid pint every time. It should not be up to you, the consumer, to ask for a top-up - you've asked for a pint once already!
The Government has pledged its support for new laws to protect consumers from short measure. It is a Labour party policy to tighten legislation to ensure you get a full pint. But despite detailed and realistic proposals, this promise has not turned into action and it is us as consumers who are losing out to the tune of £1 million a day.
If CAMRA is to be successful in our campaign for an Honest Pint law we need your support.
Sign up today to our on-line petition at www.camra.org.uk or call 0845 60 30 20 8 and pledge your support.
- Write to your local MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. Call 0207 219 4272 if you don't know the name of your MP.
- Write and complain to your local trading standards office. You'll find the address in the phone book or at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk.
- If you are not happy with a pint served to you, complain politely to the bar staff and demand a top-up.
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 14.
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