THE birthplace of Greggs has rejected its own beloved bakery chain by bringing in a ban on new fast food restaurants. Newcastle upon Tyne has turned its nose up at takeaway joints for fear of spiking obesity rates. The ban won't force existing takeaway places to shut shop but will prevent new sites turning into fast-food joints.
Director of public health for Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Alice Wiseman stated the area was in need of change. She said: “The solutions that people have been considering have been things like access to weight management services or provision of drugs – but that is never going to solve the issue. “It impacts on health, it impacts on social care, and it impacts on the wider economy.
Our NHS partners are starting to have some real challenges in relation to provision of services for people who are overweight or obese.” Read more News The new law will be implemented in wards where 10 per cent of children aged 10 to 11 being classified as obese - this affects 24 of the 26 wards. The average of children in this age group classified as obese in Newcastle is 29 per cent which is six per cent higher than the English average.
Despite the call to tackle fast-food, the popular pastry chain Greggs actually won't be affected by the ban. This is because Greggs outlets are classified as 'shops' which offer a variety of healthier options. Most read in Health The salad and rice bowls brought the bakery out of the 'takeaway' category and so won't be prev.
