Los Angeles bans fast food in poor areas to tackle obesity

Love how they're too stupid to understand that it won't work. If you can't afford to buy something you aren't going to buy it. Junk is cheap, healthy food is expensive. Want to help with obesity? Make sure people can make decent money and then educate them on how to change their eating habits from eating junk all the time to eating healthier food and exercising more often.

America hasn't been the "home of the free" for a long time, and it's only getting worse.

i live in south central, and i find it interesting that our councilwoman (Jan Perry) placed this ban on 'fast food' in the name of "health" meanwhile she did nothing to save the the South Central Farm, (in her district) which was the largest urban garden in the US and provided not only the 350 families farming with healthy organic food, but the larger community through thier weekly farmers market .

So we postpone the building of more fast food joints for a year- big deal!! we need real community solutions. It is so hard to find fresh, much less organic produce at the few markets we have here, we need more farmers markets and community gardens!!!!

We need the South Central Farm back!!!

im sorry, did i just wake up in 1978 Russia? ummm its not mcdolnalds fault that some people chose to survive on big macs and fries alone. it sounds un-constitutional to "ban" a bussines just because the consumer has no self controll. what about tabacco? yet no one is banning the retail of R.J. Renolds products!! F-califonia.....f-in commies

Great idea, but they must lower fresh food prices then.

i understand why low-income ppl would buy it. you could feed each kid for $1/meal/day + tax and there's a playground (although probably covered in pee and throw up), that they can play in...but obesity is a huge issue and these kids would be better off in the long run if they start out healthy. but who's to say that parents won't just start cooking more hamburger helper and dollar tv dinners instead of buying their kids salad?

THIS IS A JOKE I LOVE FASTFOOD

wait. stop. 400 fast food places...

thats just gross...

let people eat what they want...but they obviously do not have a lack of places to get their cheap fast food...

so banning the building/opening of yet another one isn't going to hinder anyone in a poor area of LA from eating a burger.

If we weren't so damn lazy and plant a garden and grow some of our own food we wouldn't have this problem. The public needs to learn more about nutrition. I personally do not eat processed food, that is my choice. The government should put their focus in another direction, educating people not controlling them.

Oh yea... What about the rest of fat america? I don't think this is just LA's problem

It's kind of a good idea health wise, but you can eat just as badly at "good restaurants" I work at a nice restaurant now in new york that serves pork belly as an appetizer. They make it look expensive and aesthetically pleasing with some glazed peapods, but that doesn't change the fact that its a piece of fat from a pig's stomach. Tastes great.. but i think a mcdonald's salad is a little healthier and cheaper than a $14 small round of fat soaked in its own fat.

why not teach nutrition in the inner city schools instead of banning them altogether?

Are they banning cars also? These people can't drive into the middle/ upper class areas to buy fast food?

Obesity is in the hands of the fast food consumer.

Wha~!? I have a feeling that banning restaurants for some kind of reason, (preventing obesity?!), will be one step closer to a totalitarian government.

Anyway, why ban fast foods in poor areas? These people need fat to survive the winter!

I suppose that is one thing you could try. I always wondered what would happen if someone set up a restaurant selling mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and regular chicken, beef and pork. nothing fancy just regular food. For people who have nothing, no-name type advertising and basic food, by the portion couldn't cost as much as big macs or whoppers. 1 serving of beef is about .50 . 1 serving of carrots beans and peas .35 and 1 serving of potato .25 that's 1.10. double it for labour and that's still only 2.20 for a whole meal. Now that's my price at a store, not a bulk buyer. how good could you do???

Let's actually look at the article, please. Not being allowed to open up any new fast food restaurants in a limited area for one year is not the same as a "ban on fast food."

I'm getting tied of news editorial teams (like the one from the sourced article) and others (cough*bloggers*cough) pulling headlines and making bold statements that are misleading and have complete disregard for the actual facts of the story. This is why, when I do clip to Current, I always try to find the original source instead of linking to a blog post about the same article - the more sources the story goes through before it gets to the reader, the more likely it is to have picked up an exaggerated headline along the way. Lots of bloggers do this. In some cases, the original source's editorial team are to blame. In other cases, the person clipping to Current is the one to blow things out of proportion.

I encourage everyone to check out the facts before reacting to a sensational headline. The city council is not trying to ban people from eating fast food, which is what some of the commenters on this thread seem to think.

Look, I am all for healthy eating and all, I constantly am checking up on calories and sugar intake.But when I want fried chicken....NO ONE STANDS IN MY WAY.
So people should eat what they want, rather than BAN fast food, give people a wider selection of fast foods, healthy foods, different cuisines, etcetera etcetera
and tell the government to back off.
:D

so now they will not only be fat but also out of work....good thinking

Last time I checked, 99 cents didn't buy much at Beyond Bread.

You know, apparentfuckingly we do need the government to step in and tell us what to do. I'm going to get mad cynical here for a minute.
We have an obesity "epidemic"- like you said johnA, where the hell else is this a problem? Are we really too stupid to regulate our own health- well, actions speak louder than words.
Same goes for environmental issues. Now that it's getting expensive an inconvenient and people are banning or charging for plastic bags, we'll fucking change. It IS social engineering- but maybe it's necessary lest we destroy ourselves.
Do you have to force America to do the right thing? I'd hope not, but it sure seems that way!

Seriously though, is there another country in the world concerned that their citizens are eating too much? Think about that just a second. How many places in the the world are people starving, and we are eating too much. We can't get health care, but we got plenty to eat. Come on, do we need the Government to tell us this?

Victory gardens, I'm for it, my Grandfather started one in WW2 and I've been addicted to tomatoes all my life. America is the only country in the world with too much food. We should be getting something for it. We feed half the world or more, what do we have to show. What other country in the world have you ever heard of that obesity was a problem. Fuck oil, you can't eat oil.

It all boils down to food security and the obscene lack of it in many areas of our "wealthy" nation.

Detroit is plagued by fast food restaurants and other than the farmer's market in the summertime, there's really no wholesome food available in the area.
I think that the idea behind this is good, but the application of that idea is all wrong.

As many have already commented, this does involve massive job loss and the inability to find affordable food. Should poor people be forced to eat fast food because it's all they can afford though? Of course not.

Community gardens with affordable, nutritious food would be a much better solution in my mind. Why not take those lots that would have housed the fast food joints and start growing some veggies and fruit there instead? It is California, after all, with a climate that's friendly to most crops.

It is social engineering. We want you to eat these foods. We want you to behave this way. We will tell you what is best for you. Is that what you want?

Isn't healthier food more expensive and less filling? The dollar or value menus are getting people to eat more for less which is probably why we are so obese in the first place. I don't think getting rid of fast food will help the situation, but they should give it a shot. There definitely are way too many fast food joints in Los Angeles and in certain parts of OC. Mexican restaurant followed by a chinese restaurant then another mexican restaurant and don't forget McDs and the other fast food giants. Yeah, cut down on having too many restaurants too close to each other. Plus, don't they contribute a lot of pollution to the environment? That's probably why LA is so gray. Oh and stop building starbucks in the ghetto as well. Its just as addictive.

its sad that we even have to do this. this country's weight is out of control, but should the government legislate health? kinda scary... i agree that it is a bit humiliating. maybe with readily available healthy food, people can stop resorting to cheap greasy food because of the convenience, and start making better decisions about their health. but health food does tend to be more expensive, that could cause even more problems in these poorer areas... i guess we'll just have to wait and see.

But are we also making healthy foods more readily available?

good. people in the ghetto need to change the way they eat. they're not doing it on their own. but this is kind of humiliating and says "ghetto folks ain't smart enough to make dietary changes."

That's what I'm saying. Am I so stupid I need the fucking government to tell me what to fucking eat? Blow me! I eat what I want, it's none of your damn business. You're not me.

If they really cared about the poor, they'd raise the minimum wage so they could afford better food.

Are they saying the poor are so dumb that we need to limit their choices? Wouldn't it be easier to require a physical edurance test for everyone that receives assistance? Free Market Country indeed.

If I want a greasy ass cheese-burger with onions and chili, I'm eating it and the Governator can kiss my ass. He works for me, my tax dollars pay his his salary. And if it kills me, well everyone has to go sometime and like James Dean said, live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse.

It's social engineering. Cigarettes are bad, ban them. Cell phones are bad, ban them. Fast foods are bad, ban them. Did anyone but me see "Demolition Man"? It's bad, according to us, it will be ticketed and you will pay a fine. What you say, what you read, it's bad, we don't allow that.

when is someone gonna open up a drive-thru where u can get an apple or somethin fast n HEALTHY its possible ya know n i bet people would love it

Food bans now...

Food rationing later...

Interesting times are ahead...

Good Luck all!

Ride on!

This is extremely encouraging. It is a recognition of the limits of the free market. The open economy that has led to our excessive consumer society (and our freedoms in all forms) has its limits, and its positives. The health costs of eating fast food are extremely high, and our poor in this country carry a disproportionate share of the load. How are we the only country on earth with obese poor people??

It has been too long that fast food has dominated our culture; we have to get back to basics. Know your food people.

Banning fast food? Anyone else find this biased toward the poor, minorites, fat etc.? Talk about discrimination. And from the government no doubt.

I believe that the individual should be able to choose his or her own food (but healthy alternatives and the same prices should be available) and they should live with the decisions they make.

People are just going to go to the next town to get a cheeseburger if they really want one!

I generally think it's stupid to "ban" things while keeping them legal- if something is really bad for public health, make a real decision on it! Same thing with tobacco bans; I think it confuses people to have products or activities "banned" in some cases but OK in others. Very mixed message.

What we really need are HEALTHY alternatives to fast food that don't cost an arm and a leg! I think it would be EASY for a billion dollar corporation like McD's to change their ways a bit- trade out the white bread for wheat, more healthy options, etc. They better get with the program soon!

I wish they do this too in canada. most of the healthy food joints are expensive. only junks are conveniently near by and affordable.

Chain restaurants are often just as bad as fast food, this is due to the larger quanities they typically serve on a plate. however I feel there is enough places to eat fast food, ban away

While we're at it, let's eliminate all the name brand stores on Rodeo Drive to keep the rich people from being pretentious.

This is ridiculous. Once again, if people really care about the poor and impoverished then they SHOULD be focusing their attention on our failed monetary and economic policies. Empower all people by protecting their PURCHASING POWER. Lower the corporate tax rate to promote new industries and job creation. End government subsidies to provide a more level playing field.

With new job opportunities and higher standards of living that come with increased purchasing power then people can actually afford to choose how and where they live. They would even have more capital of their own to invest in this 32 sq. mile community. Demand for nice whole food grocery stores or healthier restaurants? Start one and reap the rewards. :-)

Only in America can someone be 400 pounds and die of starvation.

I don't know why people are making such a fuss. 400 fast-food eateries isn't enough for one city? I think it's great that they're doing this. Let's hope for some healthy yummy restaurants!

Wow. Trans-fats I can understand, but that's just dumb. All this is going to do is have people spend more on gasoline. Makes me wonder if one or more of the councilmen was in the pocket of a local oil company.

people should have the freedom to eat whatever the hell they want - even if what they want puts them on a rapidly declining path to poor health, obesity, and coronary heart disease...this is america, after all, isn't it?

I'm all for freedom but when the majority of the population can't handle making healthy choices for themselves then some higher authority should step in. And if I'm part of the small percentage of people that is already making smart choices then such laws won't affect me at all. I'm willing to make that sacrifice if it means a healthier country!

Paternalism on the part of political authorities.
Are we just striving to create the perfect human?
Striving to have a human that never gets ill, does everything political correct, socially outstanding, healthy? No individuality? I'm not sure if this is just the beginning, but I don't like it.

Welcome to the utopian world of the film "Demolition Man".

This should be an indivudual choice. The government has no business regulating this. Glad I don't live in Kommifornia

This is actually a great idea.

Here in the SF Bay Area, Oakland suffers from the same problems; tons of fast food and liquor stores, but no grocery stores whatsoever. Without availability of fresh and healthy food, overall health in the area quickly begins to suffer. LA is being proactive by banning any more fast food chains to spawn in poor areas. However, I hope they're planning to replacing some of the existing ones with "real food" stores.

I see both the good and the bad in this story. I also see where all the reponses are coming from. But would they have done that with Starbucks which are on almost every corner and in almost every supermarket. (minus the 600 that are going or are now closed) We should think about the income discrimination involved. Why not do it with people who have caffeine addictions and take prescription sleeping pills isn't that unhealthy too?

I'm curious to see what counts as fast food and what doesn't.

Sitdown style restaurants are oftentimes worse than their fast food brothers, with larger portions and such.

poor people buy junk food because it's cheap.
What are they supposed to do now, shop at the wildly overpriced Whole Foods?

I do, btw, think this is a good thing. But LA needs to make sure that the poor have access to food within their budget.

Taxes are bad for my health. They increase stress, anxiety and sleeplessness. When will my government protect me from that?

The thing is- fast food is the option for poor neighborhoods because the food is affordable. You can get items on the menu for less than a dollar now. Once someone comes up with an equally cheap and filling yet healthy alternative, then we can talk about no more fast food. This is just survival. Heaven forbid LA gets fat.

I agree with Ricky, while this would help the obesity problem, it would cause a spike in unemployment and commuting prices. At the moment, I think the latter two are our immediate priority.

Wow I swear stuff like this makes me laugh. I wonder how many people on this city council have actually frequented a grocery store, especially one in an impoverished area. The assumption that shopping at one of those stores automatically equals a healthier person is completely ridiculous. Fast food quality meat and products are not localized within the fast food industry. For every highly processed, artificially flavored, low grade beef patty in a restaurant there are three or four counterparts found in a grocery store.

Great job LA. By banning all new fast food restaurants in a 32 square mile area you just made it that much harder for some young person, in an already impoverished area, to get a job.

The state can try to regulate what people eat, but as long as they don't ban all fastfood areas in an area, what good will it do? It just means that the remaining restaurants will not have to compete as much and will make more profit. Plus, if you are really hungry and want a burger, you will be willing to travel. Instead of banning restaurants, I think the government should try to work together with major fast food chains to try and make fast food healthier (or less unhealthy, at least), to improve the menu by including more low-fat and low-calorie options and to encourage customers to choose the latter more often.

I don't like this type of social engineering. If I want a cheeseburger and the free market can get me one, what right is it of the government to tell me what I have to eat? Are they going to subsidize the more expense health food restaurants for the poor out of our tax dollars? Government should work for us, we should be telling them what to do, not the other way around. There is a term for people not taking personal responsibility and suffering the consequences, it's called "thinning the herd".

they should ban cookies and ice cream too!

I think it's great. The people are regulating what they eat. I love seeing little examples of democracy.

The city counsil voted to ban the development of new fast food restaurants. The city counsil was elected by the community. This is how a democracy should function. If people are upset, then they should become more active in their community's politics.

Arcadia, CA did something like that, but for economic reasons. They set up a public hearing, voted and passed an ordinance.

If more people took responsibility for their community, we would see more policies that actually help people.