Foodservice Footprint IMG_1110-e1520539491639 New powers failing to restrict takeaways Foodservice News and Information Out of Home sector news  news-email

New powers failing to restrict takeaways

The concentration of takeaways on UK high streets is at its highest level in almost a decade, according to new analysis.

An investigation by the BBC found that despite moves to limit the spread of fast food outlets, in most areas the number of takeaways per 100,000 people is greater than at any time since 2010.

The findings suggest that government guidance aimed at encouraging local authorities to use their existing powers to restrict the growth of fast-food outlets are largely failing.

The BBC’s Shared Data Unit analysed the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to build a picture of the growth of takeaways in the UK. It found that the UK has seen a 34% increase in fast food outlets from 2010 to 2018, while in nearly every area studied the rate of takeaways per 100,000 people was higher in 2018 than 2010.

A growing body of evidence suggests there is a link between exposure to fast-food outlets and the prevalence of obesity, while analysis by Public Health England (PHE) has also shown a strong link between the availability of fast-food outlets and increasing levels of deprivation in areas of the UK.

PHE has worked with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to strengthen planning policy so that the proliferation of fast-food outlets can be kept in check. Recently updated guidance encourages policymakers to use their planning decisions to restrict fast-food outlets in locations where children and young people congregate such as schools, community centres and playgrounds, as well as in areas with high levels of obesity, deprivation and general poor health, and areas with an over-concentration of takeaways.

The British Takeaway Campaign (BTC), representing the sector, told the BBC that outlets wanted to play their part to tackle obesity but small independents needed support rather than the proposed mandatory calorie labelling on menus, which would have a cost impact.