Sponsored by
Bid to limit Blackpool fast food joints
A TOP health boss today called for a limit to be put on the number of fast food outlets in Blackpool.
It came after the resort was named the "fat capital of the North West" as figures revealed one in 10 people registered with a Blackpool GP were obese.
Arif Rajpura, the resort's director of public health, said he would now like to see a situation where "the healthy option was the easy option".
He said: "If you walk up and down Blackpool, you will see countless takeaways, fish and chip shops, burger bars and so on.
"Is there a healthy alternative? I don't think there is.
"Do we have a saturation policy for burger bars? No, we don't. And that's the sort of thing I would like to see.
"Blackpool is no different from the rest of the country in that obesity is a growing national problem. More deprived areas do tend to have more obesity.
"It's partly about individual responsibility, but it's also about giving people the right advice, support and choices to adopt healthy lifestyles."
It is not known exactly how many fast-food outlets – both permanent and mobile – there are in Blackpool, but the Schools Food Trust revealed earlier this year there were roughly 40 outlets per high school.
And only last month, The Pleasure Beach came under criticism by consumer watchdog Which? for "limited healthy choices" when it came to the food it sells.
Dr Rajpura is working with Blackpool Council to come up with ideas and policies to help tackle the problem and offer local people healthier lifestyle choices.
He said there were already projects going on in the town to help cut back on the resort's bulging waistlines, such as the Healthy Futures Programme – which involves health professionals working with individuals on nutrition and exercise.
In the North Lancashire area – which covers Fylde and Wyre – eight per cent of patients are deemed obese.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Blackpool
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
