Balance is not in our favour...
That the obesity problems of our city are self-inflicted is not in question.
No one is being held at gunpoint and forced to eat pizza or frogmarched into kebab shops by cattle prod wielding takeaway owners.
The choice to eat unhealthily is ours and in our community we eat more unhealthily than most.
We choose to do this, but, as we reveal today, the proliferation of fast food outlets is restricting the choices available for ordinary Sunderland folk.
When you saturate a community with unhealthy outlets, it becomes harder and harder to make good choices. And make no mistake, we are making terrible choices for our health.
Sunderland had the highest rate of hospital admissions in the country as a result of obesity, figures in 2016 revealed. The statistics issued by the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed we had the highest rate of hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of obesity, and the highest rate of inpatient bariatric surgery procedures.
And that within a region which is one of the worst in the country for childhood obesity.
We need to be cutting down on fast food, yet our community is saturated with takeaways, restaurants and cafes.
The statistics we have published show that the poorest areas in the country have greatest concentration of these food outlets. It is a recipe for disaster. The individual has a responsibility to look after their own health, but the authorities have to ensure they are playing their part.
A balance must be struck between a vibrant high street and an unhealthy one. The statistics would suggest the balance is being tipped against the health of the public.