Fife takeaways could face portion size limits in council obesity crackdown
Councils could soon tell takeaways to cut down on the amount of food they offer in the latest attempt to tackle obesity.
A unique pilot scheme in Fife will see food standards inspectors and the NHS work with local vendors to help stop Scots overeating.
The scheme would target calorie counts and portion sizes on menus – but, in the future, council planners could use the licensing system to enforce limits.
As part of drastic new measures to attack poor diet, Fife Council is also considering a ban on junk food adverts on roundabouts and replacing them with promos for fruit and vegetables.
The carrot-and-stick crackdown has been revealed in documents that could act as a blueprint for local authorities across Scotland.
NHS Fife's Director of Public Health, Dr Joy Tomlinson, states in her latest annual report that she wants to 'explore… the potential for place-based approaches to planning and collaborative working to create healthy places and spaces.
'Takeaways and full-service restaurants have lots of scope for calorie reduction and helping communities achieve a healthy weight.
'(Research) findings lend weight to the viability of portion size reduction as a way of reducing calorie intake.
'There is a place for working with the out-of-home sector to understand retailers' knowledge of calories on their menus, and knowledge of portion size.
'Exploratory work between Public Health, Health Promotion and Fife Council Protective Services has begun into a possible pilot in one area of Fife.'
The National Obesity Forum campaign group backed the use of 'powers to limit the licensing of takeaways and fast-food outlets and the junk they sell'.
Chairman Tam Fry said: 'It's disgraceful that six years have elapsed since calories on menus were recommended in Scotland.
'Although Fife appears to be getting around to taking action, it's still only playing catch-up to overcome generations of Scottish obesity.'
A record 32% of Scots adults are now obese, with figures increasing despite government strategies to reverse the trend.
Almost a third of children are overweight, a proportion that is stubbornly refusing to budge downwards.
Health and council officials in Fife also want more nutritious, locally grown food in state-owned canteens and propose using public places to advertise fruit and vegetables in place of unhealthy products.
Meanwhile, planners will look to use their powers to ensure that fast food shops aren't clustered in deprived areas, as they currently tend to be.
Tomlinson writes: 'There remain significant structural barriers for people living in Fife to access a healthy diet and stay physically active as part of their everyday lives.'
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