WHEN is a strawberry milkshake not a strawberry milkshake? Answer, when it comes from a fast food outlet.
THAT'S ALL OF THIS..
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WHEN is a strawberry milkshake not a strawberry milkshake? Answer, when it comes from a fast food outlet.
Order a shake with your burger and fries and rather than wholesome, sweet strawberries, crushed ice and a splash of ice-cold milk, what you'll end up with is a gloopy mixture of additives and E-numbers.
The closest thing to a plump strawberry in the milkshakes sold at McDonald's and Burger King is "artificial strawberry flavour" - concocted from a vast array of about 40 chemicals with tongue-twisting names.
One flavourist said: "Children's expectation of strawberry is completely different. They want something that is strong with something like bubblegum notes."
And none of the ingredients in the fast food shakes bear much resemblance to the healthy home-made version, according to Eric Schlosser, the author of the best-selling book Fast Food Nation.
They are made up of milkfat and non-fat milk, guar gum, cellulose gum, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, citric acid, E129, plus flavourings.
The sweet taste comes from sugar, sweet whey and high-fructose corn syrup.
The shocking findings were made by Eric as he researched his new book, Chew On This.
Published next month, it tackles the way fast food giants target children with their products and advertising.
Children are used in taste tests by experts, who have discovered that flavours in their foods are often twice as sweet as those marketed for adults.
The flavouring industry's work means that many children now prefer man-made tastes to fresh ones.
The book reveals the average processed strawberry milkshake is made up of a worrying list of chemicals. But, the alarming recipe has not reduced the amount of soft drinks people knock back.
In 1975, the typical American drank 120 litres of soft drinks every year, but that has now doubled to 240 litres.
And about a fifth of American youngsters between the ages of one and two slurp soft drinks every day.
k.storrar@mirror.co.uk
