Freakshakes should be banned and BDA seeks a way forward
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- Published: Wednesday, 14 November 2018 07:28
- Written by News Editor
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The campaign group Action on Sugar is demanding a ban on freakshakes and all milkshakes with more than 300 calories. It surveyed milkshakes sold in restaurants and fast food shops in the UK and found they contained "grotesque levels of sugar and calories", with one containing 39 teaspoons of sugar or 1,280 calories. BDA hosts a ’sugar summit’ to open new front on the war on sugar.
Freakshakes are milkshakes that also contain chocolates, sweets, cake, cream and sauce. 39 teaspoons of sugar or 1,280 calories is more than half the daily recommended amount of calories for an adult and over six times the amount of sugar recommended for seven to 10-year-olds. In terms of sugar, it is the equivalent of drinking more than five cans of cola.
Action on Sugar chairman Graham MacGregor, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at London’s Queen Mary University, said: "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. These high calorie milkshakes need to be reduced immediately below 300kcal per serving."
"Milk contains naturally occurring sugars in the form of lactose but we would stress that it is also a natural and nutrient rich product, containing essential nutrients such as protein, calcium and vitamins."
Sugar summit at BDA
Public health leaders, academics and campaigners gathered at the British Dental Association to map out the next phase on the war on sugar. The BDA Sugar and Oral Health Summit aimed to set out the policy responses to both tooth decay and systemic diseases that need to follow in the wake of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and Childhood Obesity Strategy. Tooth decay and obesity remain the most prevalent non-communicable diseases in the U.K. and worldwide.
Voices from the World Health Organisation, Public Health England and leading dental and medical organisations looked at innovative approaches to securing changes in behaviour from both consumers and industry, and evaluate lessons drawn from campaigns and officials working to lower salt and calorie intake.
The BDA’s Health and Science chair Russ Ladwa said: "Dentists see the damage Britain’s sugar addiction does every day. We’ve won the argument for a sugar tax, but that must not mark the end of tough action on a common agent fuelling epidemics of tooth decay and obesity. We’ve set out to bring together leading voices from across healthcare, academia and advocacy, with heavyweight UK and international experience. Our objective is to look at the latest evidence and innovative policies that can open up the next front on the war on sugar."
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