The last decades have seen an increase in takeaway outlets selling food high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, and the negative impact this is having on people’s health.

Food Matters produced a toolkit for Local Authorities outlining the regulatory powers available for them to tackle this issue.

What people eat in the UK has changed a lot in the last two decades and more people are eating out.  Fast-food takeaways selling food high in saturated fat and salt and low in fibre and fresh fruit and veg are contributing to poor diets and obesity.

What We Did

Food Matters researched the tools and regulatory powers available to Local Authorities to address the continuing growth of fast-food outlets.

We produced a toolkit adopted by the Greater London Authority to help London Boroughs and other Local Authorities understand the issues and why it is important to focus on takeaway catering outlets as a means of increasing community health and wellbeing.

Food Matters carried out robust desk-based research and interviews to make the case for more Local Authority action.  Statistics demonstrated the extent of diet-related ill-health and the influence of external factors such as promotions and advertising on food consumption habits.

There are lots of successful examples of partnerships between Local Authorities, local food businesses and schools, which work to protect the health of local residents.  Schemes such as Healthier Catering Commitment in London and Healthier Choice Catering in Brighton work with restaurants, cafes and fast food outlets to improve the healthiness of their offer.

The toolkit was packed full of information and inspiration for local authorities to use when addressing the health of their communities.

An increase in fast food takeaways selling food high in saturated fat and salt and low in fibre and fresh fruit and veg are contributing to poor diets and obesity.

Find out more

Read more by downloading the evaluation report below.

Report

Get In Touch

Reach out to the Food Matters team to find out more about what we do, get involved or to collaborate with us on a future project.

Get In Touch

Get in touch with the Food Matters team to find out more about what we do or get involved. We also want to hear from you if you would like to collaborate with us on a future project.