Fast food recipe for big problem

A MASS corridor of fast food outlets in Geelong’s north could be contributing to the region’s poor eating habits, experts say.

A Geelong Advertiser analysis found Norlane-Corio has become a hot spot for fast food chains, with the largest prevalence of the big four franchises — McDonald’s, KFC, Hungry Jack’s and Red Rooster — in the region.

The Princes Highway ranked as the most prevalent for fast food chains, with six of the big four’s outlets tunnelling across a 5km stretch along the highway in Norlane-Corio.

The Norlane-Corio area has eight fast food chains in total — higher than Newcomb along the Bellarine Highway and Waurn Ponds down the Colac Rd/Princes Highway, which each has three outlets.

Associate Professor Gary Sacks, at Deakin University’s Global Obesity Centre, said lower socio-economic areas, such as Norlane-Corio, tended to be a swooping ground for big franchises to open up shop.

“They are very sophisticated on where they choose to open new stores — certainly all signs point to them targeting low socio-economic areas,” he said. “It does tend to be poorer suburbs that have these fast food chains.

“It comes down to convenience and also the price. Often fast food is marketed as a cheap way to feed your family.”

Research suggests people opt for fast food for a range of reasons, including convenience and price.

Studies into stress eating also showed people experiencing high levels of stress turned to junk food more commonly, as chronic daily stress released cortisol, which was linked to increasing appetite and cravings for sweet and fatty foods.

While mass numbers of fast food chains in the northern pocket of the region were concerning, Prof Sacks said the concern stemmed from the lack of healthy outlets, rather than the high number of unhealthy fast food chains.

“It’s not so much that there are lots of fast food chains, it’s the mix of outlets that’s the problem,” he said.

“In lower socio-economic areas there’s also an absence of healthy take-out joints, that’s the problem.”

A boost in the number of healthier eateries including takeout chains such as Subway and Healthy Habits, which would level the playing field in fast food territory, could be the key to making a difference to the healthy eating habits of Geelong’s north.

But Geelong-based dietitian at La Trobe Health Centre, Rachel Jeffery, said that the rise of online delivery services had changed the way people ordered food, opening the door of accessibility wider than ever.

“Uber Eats, Deliveroo and other sorts of delivery services make it easy,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter where you live, people now have access to a lot of fast food, as long as they have a mobile phone and a credit card.”

Ms Jeffery said fast food was often perceived as a cheaper option — but this was not the case.

She said greater education on healthy meal options would encourage better eating habits in the region.

“There’s a lot of options — you can cook a simple spag bol ... (and) actually feed a family really well, with even leftovers for lunch the next day,” she said.

She advised people to batch-cook and get a head start by preparing meals in their spare time.