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​Action On Sugar Calls For Ban On Calorific Freakshakes And Milkshakes

​Action On Sugar Calls For Ban On Calorific Freakshakes And Milkshakes

The campaign group is calling for a ban on freakshakes and milkshakes with more than 300 calories

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Freakshakes may look good on Instagram, piled high with slices of cake, doughnuts, biscuits, syrups, marshmallows, sprinkles, sparklers, the kitchen sink, a family of five and a partridge in a pear tree.

Yep, providing the perfect wow factor for you to portray that hedonistic, diet-starts-tomorrow lifestyle that social media craves, these freakshakes sure have a lot going on - but is it all too much? Should they follow the same fate as fizzy pop and energy drinks?

Campaign group Action on Sugar believes the drinks should be a thing of the past, calling for a ban on freakshakes and milkshakes with more than 300 calories.

The group - which is made up of specialists working on links between sugar and its effects on health, looked into such drinks sold in UK restaurants and fast food chains, and found that many contain 'grotesque' levels of both sugar and calories.

The Toby Carvery Unicorn Freakshake came out worst in the findings, with 39 teaspoons of sugar - six times the amount of sugar seven-to-10 year-olds are supposed to have each day.

That's also equivalent to 1,280 calories, which is over half the recommended daily allowance for an adult

Public Health England has introduced a sugar reduction programme as part of the government's plans to curb childhood obesity, trying to get businesses to cut sugar content by 20 percent by 2020 - including in milkshakes.

Freakshakes contain six times the amount of sugar kids are supposed to have each day.
PA

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said: "The food and drink industry - including restaurants, manufacturers and retailers - has a key role in helping to tackle this, by reducing the amount of sugar we buy and consume, and we hope to see them step up to the challenge."

However, Action on Sugar chairman Graham MacGregor - who is professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at London's Queen Mary University - believes more should be done.

"These very high calorie drinks, if consumed on a daily basis, would result in children becoming obese and suffering from tooth decay - that is not acceptable," he said.

"These high calorie milkshakes need to be reduced immediately below 300kcal per serving."

Kawther Hashem, a registered nutritionist and researcher at Action on Sugar based at Queen Mary, added that it is "time the government introduced legislation to force companies to be more transparent about what is in their products."

via GIPHY

Two of Toby Carvery's freakshakes featured in Action on Sugar's top 10 hit list, as did two from chain restaurant Harvester.

Both companies told the BBC that they took nutritional responsibilities seriously, and while they weren't targeting children with the shakes, they were also committed to PHE's sugar reduction plan.

They also said that nutritional information was available online.

A Toby Carvery spokesperson said: "We also regularly work with our suppliers to explore ways we can reduce sugar levels in our dishes."

A Harvester spokesperson added: "We have also been recognised by the Soil Association Out to Lunch campaign for continuing to develop our children's menu and offering healthier choices for young guests."

Personally, I'd rather have another two dinners than waste 1,280 calories on a glass of milk and ridiculous toppings, but each to their own and all that.

Featured Image Credit: PA / Kathryn Wright (Creative Commons)

Topics: Food, UK News, SUgar tax, Kids, News, Interesting, Drink, Health