Calls for ban on sugary 'freakshake' milkshakes
Try easier levels of this lesson: Freakshake Milkshakes - Level 4 or Freakshake Milkshakes - Level 5.
Download the 27-page lesson | More mini-lessons
The reading
There are calls in the UK to ban the latest phenomenon to shock health and nutrition experts. The campaign group Action on Sugar wants to ban the "freakshake" - a "monstrous" milkshake packed with "grotesque" levels of sugar. Action on Sugar said the shake should be banned from restaurants and cafes as it can contain up to 1,280 calories. An adult would have to go jogging for three hours to burn off those calories. Freakshakes are usually full of sweetened whipped cream, chocolate bars, mini-doughnuts and even slices of cake. One freakshake tested contained 39 teaspoons of sugar. This is more than six times the recommended daily amount of sugar for a 10-year-old, and the equivalent of four cans of Coke.
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
Freakshakes originated in Australia and spread around the world on social media. Two restaurants mentioned in the Action on Sugar report fought back and said they took nutrition seriously. One said it was adhering to a national sugar-reduction programme and was not targeting children with excessively high-calorie shakes. A restaurant spokesperson said: "Freakshakes only feature on our main menu and are not targeted at children. We share our nutritional information online for guests to access....We regularly work with our suppliers to explore ways we can reduce sugar levels in our dishes." A public health spokesman said the government needed to put a limit of 300kcal per serving on all shakes.
Sources:
- https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/freakshake-ban-pushed-because-monstrous-13582337
- https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/7726420/sugar-milkshake-possible-ban-toby-carvery-pizza-hut-mcdonalds/
- https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/13/milkshakes-containing-39-tablespoons-of-sugar-should-be-banned-campaigners-say-8133706/?ito=cbshare
