London Mayor Sadiq Khan's Fast
Sadiq Khan
London mayor Sadiq Khan  unveiled  his  âLondon Planâ on Wednesday  and  as expected  it took a tough stance against a dangerous threat jeopardizing the health and future of the cityâs children. No  itâs not a strategy to protect Londoners from potential terrorist attacks at public festivals this Christmas season. The menace is cellulite and the perp is a cheeseburger.
 Khan âs plan would prevent any new fast-food restaurant from opening within 400 meters of a primary or secondary school  fulfilling a campaign pledge  he  made in 2013. The ban targets âtakeawaysâ that sell food such as fish and chips  pizza  chicken  and other quick bites that are allegedly contributing to Londonâs childhood-obesity crisis. (Nearly 40 percent of children in London are overweight or obese by the time they finish grade school  and the number of obese eleven-year-olds in the city spiked by 22 percent in the last four years.)
The mayor is also asking restaurants to make food healthier by using fewer villainous ingredients  and grilling or baking food items instead of frying them: âThe Healthier Catering Commitment is a scheme that helps food businesses in London to provide healthier food to their customers. The scheme promotes a reduction in the consumption of fat  salt and sugar  and an increase in access to fruit and vegetables.â (To  his  credit   Khan  is reportedly trying to stop the number of pubs closing in the city each year. Two cheers for that.)
 Khan âs plan might actually make the problem worse. In 2008  Los Angeles set up new zoning rules that restrict the opening or expansion of âstand aloneâ restaurants in low-income areas of the city to combat health problems in those neighborhoods. But according to a 2015 RAND Corporation study  the rules havenât worked; in fact  after they were implemented  obesity rates for residents living in the targeted neighborhoods grew faster than in other parts of the city: âThe South Los Angeles fast food ban may have symbolic value  but it has had no measurable impact in improving diets or reducing obesity â said Roland Sturm  the lead author of the study. Business owners  who are usually smarter than politicians  figured out a way around the rules by opening smaller food stores or restaurants with limited seating. Shrewd Londoners could find similar loopholes in  Khan âs plan  perhaps by building a new restaurant 420 meters away from a school instead of 400.
[TGT] unveiled   [TGT]   âLondon Planâ on Wednesday  and  as expected  it took a tough stance against a dangerous threat jeopardizing the health and future of the cityâs children. No  itâs not a strategy to protect Londoners from potential terrorist attacks at public festivals this Christmas season. The menace is cellulite and the perp is a cheeseburger.
  [TGT]  âs plan would prevent any new fast-food restaurant from opening within 400 meters of a primary or secondary school  fulfilling a campaign pledge   [TGT]   made in 2013. The ban targets âtakeawaysâ that sell food such as fish and chips  pizza  chicken  and other quick bites that are allegedly contributing to Londonâs childhood-obesity crisis. (Nearly 40 percent of children in London are overweight or obese by the time they finish grade school  and the number of obese eleven-year-olds in the city spiked by 22 percent in the last four years.)
The mayor is also asking restaurants to make food healthier by using fewer villainous ingredients  and grilling or baking food items instead of frying them: âThe Healthier Catering Commitment is a scheme that helps food businesses in London to provide healthier food to their customers. The scheme promotes a reduction in the consumption of fat  salt and sugar  and an increase in access to fruit and vegetables.â (To  his  credit   Khan  is reportedly trying to stop the number of pubs closing in the city each year. Two cheers for that.)
 Khan âs plan might actually make the problem worse. In 2008  Los Angeles set up new zoning rules that restrict the opening or expansion of âstand aloneâ restaurants in low-income areas of the city to combat health problems in those neighborhoods. But according to a 2015 RAND Corporation study  the rules havenât worked; in fact  after they were implemented  obesity rates for residents living in the targeted neighborhoods grew faster than in other parts of the city: âThe South Los Angeles fast food ban may have symbolic value  but it has had no measurable impact in improving diets or reducing obesity â said Roland Sturm  the lead author of the study. Business owners  who are usually smarter than politicians  figured out a way around the rules by opening smaller food stores or restaurants with limited seating. Shrewd Londoners could find similar loopholes in  Khan âs plan  perhaps by building a new restaurant 420 meters away from a school instead of 400.