Fast-food fiasco
The Los Angeles City Council wanted to look like it was doing something about the growing problem of obesity among South L.A. residents.
So it made the area's fast-food restaurants the scapegoat.
Last week, the L.A. City Council placed a yearlong moratorium on new fast food restaurants in high poverty South L.A. The action was presented as a way to open the door for restaurants that offer healthier menu options.
According to Los Angeles County, 30 percent of South L.A. residents are obese compared to 19.1 percent for the metropolitan area. But banning additional fast food restaurants is a losing strategy and an unfair attack on businesses that already are attempting to offer more healthy menu choices.
It's not the restaurants' fault that patrons choose to order a double cheeseburger instead of a salad, or a milk shake instead of a diet soda.
The city council's action might be marginally justified if there was any reasonable expectation it would solve the problem it seeks to address, but there isn't. If the city really wanted to reduce obesity, it could subsidize a low-cost salad bar restaurant or build new recreation centers to encourage people to exercise. But those things cost money, so it's easier to just point the finger at a broad class of "fast food" restaurants and be done with it.
Are there supermarkets in this area? Following the council's reasoning on restaurants, they should ban new supermarkets that sell high-fat food. Only health food stores need apply. They even could take it another step and attack other health issues. No more convenience stores that sell cigarettes.
Obesity apparently is a problem in South L.A., but it's a little insulting for the city to imply it should decide what the residents of the area should eat because they aren't smart enough to decide for themselves. If the city council really wants to address the obesity issue, it would be better off trying to attack the poverty that leaves residents of the area with limited options in food and in life.
Editorial by the Lawrence Journal-World
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