40 takeaways open within half a mile of London's schools - scheme finds
Some takeaways in London are offering school children portions of chips that contain 1865 calories, equating to 93% of daily recommended intake and up to 69g of fat, the entire recommended amount of fat to be consumed in a day.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has now set up a new initiative that encourages takeaways to sell healthier food and supplier JJ Food Service has promoted the Healthier Catering Commitment by offering five key items at 10% discount for a full three months, for those takeaways signing up.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “It is terrible that as a city, and indeed as a nation, we are getting fatter. Throughout my mayoralty I’ve invested in grassroots sports and food programmes to get Londoners healthier and fitter, but we still need to do more to tackle our expanding waistlines.
“Life in a busy city means that we inevitably enjoy fast food, whilst takeaway businesses make a great contribution to local economies and this scheme ensures takeaway food can be a healthier option.”
Rosie Boycott, chair of the London Food Board, added: “I would like to see even more changes to how takeaways operate. In some parts of the capital there are up to 40 fast food takeaways within half a mile of schools and many of them entice children by cutting their prices at school leaving time. Sadly, we can do nothing to stop that and at the moment all action is voluntary, but this must change in the future.”
Since 2012, Johnson has supported the Environmental Health and Public Health teams to deliver the Healthier Catering Commitment for London and has seen 500 restaurants in 22 boroughs sign up.