In the recent past, the number of fast food restaurants in many towns around the world has been increasing at an unprecedented speed. In equal measure, obesity is emerging as a threatening health concern especially among the young people with a craving for junk food. The problem is most prevalent in neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty where healthy eating is a considerable socio-economic challenge. Taking all factors into consideration, it is high time a public health effort was made in the direction of coming up with a law against the over-concentration of fast food restaurants in our towns. This will go a long way in creating healthy and livable neighborhoods which are currently threatened by the proliferation of unhealthy fast food joints in almost every corner of our towns and cities.
The local governments, through planning, should strive to make opportunities for healthy and active lifestyles of its people. The presence of fast food restaurants at such high numbers in our towns significantly compromises the ability of the population to eat healthy and thus lead healthy lifestyles. It is in the best interest of all of us to have such a rule in place considering the growing body of scientific evidence showing the connection between of obesity and the large number of fast food restaurants, especially in neighborhoods of socio-economic deprivation. The law should instead encourage healthier neighborhood dining alternatives such as encouraging establishment of more produce-filled stores, sit-down restaurants, and takeout meals offering salads instead of fries.
