Børnefedme: Analyse af fastfoodforbud

Article used for this essay: ”The Guardian.” October 21 2008, online edition. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/oct/21/child-obesity-takeaway-ban (640 words)

Child Obesity - Battle of the Food! (836 words)The scene if crime is Great Britain, the victim's obese children, the suspected assailant: Fast food.Never before has it been so easy to shove a bit of delicious food down your maw in such short time. Fast food chains such as McDonalds and Burger King have revolutionized the world of food as we see it an obesity has become a problem, especially when one takes a closer look at the younger generations who have bowed down to worship the mighty golden M and lunch on hamburgers and fries like never before.Waltham Forest makes it clear that the fat little teens and youths are a problem. In the article "Child obesity: Council to ban takeaways near schools" written by Sara Gaines and printed in The Guardian on October 21´th, 2008, Forest points out that 17.2% of children are obese, which is not "chubby" or "gifted with love handles", but fat to such a degree that it may be a health issue. 17.2% is well over average, as child obesity is a mere 11.5% in the borough. Waltham Forest, leader of the Waltham Forest council, stepped forward during the government's obesity campaign and offered a solution to the obesity problem which seems to have swept Britain of her feet and shoved fast food down her throat in massive amounts. A ban which will insure that less fast food outlets are allowed in the cities, that fast food outlets are place farther than 400 meters away from major public areas where youngsters tend to crowd together, such as schools, youth centers and parks. The fast food outlets opening hours will also be severely restricted by the ban to force the younger future generations to seek out healthier and "cleaner" food sources such as restaurants and cafes, which is why the ban will also put a limit to the number of fast food shops allowed in certain areas such a shopping malls. The ban was a response the concerns regarding the new and improved quality of school diners all over Britain which turned to newer and healthier dinner menus after a campaign started by the famous cook Jamie Oliver. The healthier food choices offered in the cantina was not the concern, but the young students reaction to it was when they began to migrate from the school grounds to nearby fast food shops during lunch breaks.