Almost half of the fast-food outlets in England are in the most deprived parts of the country, figures show, raising fresh concerns about child obesity in poorer areas.
The most affluent 10% of England is home to just 3% of fast-food restaurants, chip shops and burger bars, and the poorest decile has 17%, according to the data from Public Health England (PHE).
Of the 51,460 fast-food outlets in England, 24,072 (47%) are in the poorest 30% of the country.
In light of the disparity, the health agency has called on local authorities to consider restricting the growth of fast-food outlets near schools, parks and other places where children gather, citing concerns about child obesity in deprived areas.
In April, leading paediatricians called on the government to ban fast-food outlets from opening within 400 metres of schools. More than a third of children in England are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, and the proportion is higher in more deprived areas.
Dr Alison Tedstone, PHE’s chief nutritionist, said: “It’s not surprising some children find it difficult to resist the lure of fast-food outlets when many neighbourhoods are saturated with them.
“Local authorities have the power to help shape our environment and support people in making healthier choices. They need to question whether these fast-food hotspots are compatible with their work to help families and young children live healthier lives.”
The Local Government Association called for more planning powers for councils to help break up existing groups of takeaway restaurants on high streets, and said authorities were working with businesses to create healthier menus.
Izzi Seccombe, chair of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “Councils appreciate that a flourishing hospitality sector in our towns and cities is good for local economies, and where they have introduced restrictions on takeaways are working with businesses to help create healthier menus for their customers.
“Numerous councils have set curbs on new fast-food outlets but current legislation means they lack planning powers to tackle the clustering of existing takeaways already open. New legislation is needed to empower councils to help drive forward an effective redesign of damaging food environments to help address health inequalities and tackle the obesity crisis, which requires a joined-up approach.”
The figures show significant variation in the number of fast-food outlets in different parts of England, ranging from zero in some wards to more than 100 in others.
Some local authorities have formed “healthier zones” in response to obesity concerns, limiting the number of fast-food outlets in places with high levels of deprivation and near schools, community centres, playgrounds and open spaces.
According to PHE, overweight and obese children are consuming up to 500 extra calories a day. It said creating healthier environments was an important part of dealing with health and obesity inequalities.
Childhood obesity increases the risk of being overweight later in life and suffering from preventable diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and a number of cancers.
Around a quarter of the 207,617 eateries in England are fast-food outlets, the majority of which are run by independent companies that own one or two outlets.
The government aims to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and is consulting on introducing mandatory calorie labelling on menus in all restaurants.
PHE has challenged the food industry to remove 20% of calories from popular foods such as chips, burgers and pizzas by 2024 and to reduce sugar in products by 20% by 2020.
