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Calls for ban on sugary 'freakshake' milkshakes

Freakshake Milkshakes - Level 4

There are calls to ban freakshakes - "monstrous" milkshakes packed with "grotesque" levels of sugar. The campaign group Action on Sugar wants the shake banned from restaurants as it has up to 1,280 calories. It would take three hours of jogging for an adult to burn off these calories. Freakshakes can contain 39 teaspoons of sugar - more than six times the recommended daily amount for a 10-year-old. This is the same as four cans of Coke.

Freakshakes started in Australia and spread worldwide. A restaurant mentioned by Action on Sugar said it took nutrition seriously and was sticking to a sugar-reduction programme. It added: "Freakshakes only feature on our main menu and are not targeted at children....We regularly work with our suppliers to explore ways we can reduce sugar levels in our dishes." A health spokesman said the government needed to limit shakes to 300kcal per serving.

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Freakshake Milkshakes - Level 5

There are calls to ban the latest food to shock nutrition experts. The campaign group Action on Sugar wants a ban on freakshakes - "monstrous" milkshakes packed with "grotesque" levels of sugar. The shake could be banned from restaurants and cafes as it has up to 1,280 calories. An adult would have to jog for three hours to burn off these calories. Freakshakes are usually full of whipped cream, chocolate and even slices of cake. A freakshake can contain 39 teaspoons of sugar - more than six times the recommended daily amount for a 10-year-old, and the same as four cans of Coke.

Freakshakes originated in Australia and spread around the world. A restaurant mentioned by Action on Sugar said it took nutrition seriously and was adhering to a sugar-reduction programme. It said it was not targeting children with high-calorie shakes. A spokesperson said: "Freakshakes only feature on our main menu and are not targeted at children....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.

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Freakshake Milkshakes - Level 6

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.

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.

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