Takeaways turning poor areas into a ‘food swamp’

Children denied healthy meals – UN

TAKEAWAYS are turning deprived parts of the UK into so- called ‘ food swamps’ where children struggle to find healthy options, a Un report has warned.

Unicef said the poorest areas have five times more fast-food shops than the most affluent neighbourhoods – making them ‘swamps’ where junk food outlets outnumber healthy stores.

the annual state of the world’s Children study, which looks at child nutrition worldwide, stresses that one in three school-leavers is overweight or obese in the UK, with children from deprived areas twice as likely to be obese.

the report states: ‘ england’s poorest areas are fast-food hotspots, with five times more outlets than in the most affluent areas.

‘Children from poorer areas are disproportionately exposed to takeaways selling fried chicken, burgers and pizzas and poorer areas also have more visible advertising for unhealthy foods than wealthier areas. the UK food retail environment encourages unhealthy foods consumption.’

it adds: ‘at the same time, nearly two million children in england live in food poverty, and less than one fifth of five to 15-year- olds eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. in an affluent city like london, almost one in ten children reports going to bed hungry.’

But the report, published today, ends on a positive note, concluding ‘the UK is paving the way to ensure all children grow up in a healthy food environment’.

it highlights the introduction of the sugar tax and ongoing consultation on legislation to remove junk foods from checkouts and ban price promotions. the report also points to the Healthy start scheme, which provides fruit and vegetable vouchers to low-income families with young children.

liam sollis, head of policy at Unicef UK said: ‘the UK faces the challenge of confronting “food swamps” – where an abundance of high- calorie, low-nutrient junk food outlets line the streets – while restricting the promotion of unhealthy foods in supermarkets and ensuring healthy options are affordable and easily accessible to all.

‘every year, the Government’s failure to act means more children being pushed into a life of ill- health through no fault of their own.’ On a global scale, Unicef reported one in three children under five years old is malnourished, and two in three under two have poor diets.

and the report states 62 per cent of school-going teenagers in high-income countries drink sugary soft drinks at least once a day, while 49 per cent eat fastfood at least once a week.

Henrietta Fore, Unicef’s executive director, said: ‘Millions of children subsist on an unhealthy diet because they simply do not have a better choice.’

‘Poor areas are hotspots’