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Food

13th Nov 2018

Food experts want to ban ‘freakshakes’ for being too unhealthy

Jade Hayden

freakshakes

Nutrition experts are hoping to ban ‘freakshakes’ for being too unhealthy.

A campaign group called Action On Sugar are hoping to stop businesses from selling the giant milkshakes in a bid to crack down on sugar consumption in the UK.

Freakshakes have become popular in Ireland over the past few years, with many food places and cafes boasting the calorie-filled dairy drink.

The shake generally consists of a regular milkshake in a jar, topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate pieces.

Other toppings can also include entire donuts, waffle cones, candy floss, and ice cream.

Action On Sugar have called for the ban of freakshakes, stating that some of them contain up to 39 teaspoons of sugar and over half of an adult’s daily recommended calorie intake.

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A study carried out by the group found that a freakshake being sold in a family restaurant called Toby Carvery was the most “shocking” containing the aforementioned 39 teaspoons of sugar.

This is over over six times the recommended daily amount of sugar for a seven to 10-year-old.

A statement reads:

“When it comes to hidden calories, Public Health England’s sugar reduction targets include a cap on milkshake products likely to be consumed in a single occasion to 300 calories.

“However, a milkshake such as Toby Carvery Unicorn Freakshake at 1280 kcal per serving is more than half the daily-recommended amount of calories for an adult and four times PHE’s proposed calorie limit. An average 25-year-old would need to jog for nearly three hours or vacuum the house for five hours to burn off the calories.”

The group is calling for a ban on all milkshakes that contain over 300 calories and are likely to be consumed in one sitting.

Their aim is to reduce sugar consumption in the UK by 10 percent by mid-2019.

Action On Sugar’s nutrition campaigner Holly Gabriel ANutr said that it is “unnecessary” and “unacceptable” to sell milkshakes with such high calorie counts.

“There should be a limit of 300kcal per serving on these drinks,” she said.

“If you choose to eat out in a restaurant or cafe, you could unknowingly be consuming up to four times the amount of sugar and calories compared to a similar product from a supermarket, which demonstrates how easy it is to reduce sugar and calories.”