Quickly getting fries or another greasy snack in between: if it is up to the cabinet, that will soon be a thing of the past. The proliferation of fast food chains has long been a thorn in their side. That’s why they attack fast food and sugar. Municipalities will be given a legal weapon to ban new fast-food restaurants near schools or in neighborhoods where there are already too many pizzerias, doner and hamburger chains. But how much use is that? Let us know what you think about it!
Pizzerias, döner and hamburger chains: they can be found on almost every street corner. That should change if it is up to the government. In the fight against obesity, they hope to make a difference by now allowing municipalities to decide for themselves how many hamburger, doner and pizza chains they tolerate in places and where the limit lies. Young people in particular must be protected in this way. They still regularly prefer a greasy bite to their buttered sandwich.
Yet there are still many snags to this decision. For example, existing fast food restaurants may continue to exist for now. In addition, there is still a lot of uncertainty about unhealthy restaurants: when exactly is there fast food? In short: exactly how and when such a local ban will take effect is not yet clear.
These plans are part of a large package of the cabinet in the fight against obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. Half of the adult Dutch population is moderately or seriously overweight (obesity). Nearly 14 percent of adults are seriously overweight. These numbers have only increased since the 1990s.