A British council has caused uproar amongst business owners by proposing a radical way of halting the onset of childhood obesity, banning the sale of hot, greasy food before 5PM close to schools. With a 2017 study showing 35 percent of children in the North West England city of Salford were obese or overweight the city council is searching for ways to stop the problem becoming worse.
The proposed ban would be placed on new takeaways, kebab shops and fast food restaurants, such as fish and chip shop’s and McDonald’s opening within 400 meters of a school. During school any new restaurant would be limited in the food it could sell and hot food sold over the counter banned. Fast food restaurant groups, such as the National Association of Fish Fryers have publicly criticized the ban stating local stores selling sugary drinks and food are causing more weight problems than fast food.
Members of Salford City Council claim the ban is being considered in an effort to encourage school children in the city to eat healthily while they are at school. Various proposals have been considered over recent years to limit fast food sales around school’s, including a fat tax proposed by another Greater Manchester council in Oldham that was never passed into legislation.
Sonia Theo has been writing for more than 15 years, first starting with fantasy stories. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and German, and one in Arts and Design. In the past years, her interests in gaming and tech news grew, so she started writing articles, guides and reviews for players. In her spare time, you’ll see Sonia playing WoW, crafting decorations and jewelry, or walking her dog. For Digital Overload, Sonia Theo will cover all things tech and gaming, delivering fresh updates on your favorite games.
