Low takeaway number’s food for thought
HALTON has lower than the national average of fast food outlets, new figures show.
Public Health England (PHE) has revealed that there are more than 7,000 burger bars, kebab and chip shops in the North West.
In Runcorn and Widnes, there are a total of 86 – a rate of 68.1 per 100,000 people.
The borough’s rate is lower than the national average of 88 per 100,000 people and it has one of the lowest numbers of fast food outlets of the North West local authority areas.
Eight other areas have fewer outlets than Halton. Eden, Ribble Valley and West Lancashire have the lowest with 35, 56, and 63 respectively.
Of Halton Council wards, Appleton in Widnes has the highest number of fast food outlets with 22, with the Mersey ward in Runcorn and Riverside in Widnes having 17 and 11 respectively.
The Runcorn wards of Halton Castle, Daresbury and Heath, as well as the Widnes area of Broadheath only have one each, according to the PHE figures.
A PHE spokeswoman said that there was a ‘growing body’ of evidence on the association between exposure to fast food outlets and obesity, despite some studies having conflicting results.
She said that data from the National Child Measurement Programme shows there are more overweight or obese children in poorer areas and that fast food is likely to be high in saturated fat and salt.
PHE North West’s deputy director, Dr Rebecca Wagstaff, said: “Over a fifth of adults and children eat takeaway meals at home more than once a week which is contributing to the nation’s obesity epidemic.
“In the North West, the majority of our local authorities are already tackling this issue and introducing a number of initiatives, including trying to limit new takeaways, particularly around schools.”
PHE will be working with the out-of-home sector, which includes restaurants, cafés and fast food outlets, to reduce the amount of sugar, saturated fat, salt and calories in the food and drink they serve and increase the range of healthier options they offer.
The spokesewoman said this would help tackle overweight and obesity in children as part of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. ●
PHE also hopes that a map which reveals the fast food outlets can be used by councils to target resources and help tackle obesity levels.