A COUNCIL could soon order takeaways and fast-food restaurants to cut down on the portion sizes of food they offer in an attempt to tackle obesity.
A pilot scheme introduced by Fife Council will reportedly target calorie counts and portion sizes on menus, with planners at the local authority also hoping to use the licensing system to enforce limits in the near future.
The scheme, which will see food standards inspectors and the NHS work with local businesses in a bid to help stop people from overeating, would be the first of its kind in Scotland.
Fife Council is also reportedly considering banning junk food adverts on roundabouts and replacing them with promos for fruit and vegetables in a bid to help improve people's diets.
The plans were unveiled in NHS Fife’s director of public health Dr Joy Tomlinson's latest annual report, where she wrote 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.”
In 2023, the Scottish Health Survey showed that almost a third, 32%, of adults in Scotland were living with obesity.
The same survey showed that almost a fifth, 17%, of Scottish children were at risk of obesity, and that a third, 30%, were at risk of being overweight or obese.
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”, The Courier has reported.
Chairperson 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.”
Meanwhile, council planners reportedly said they will look to use their powers to ensure that fast food shops aren’t clustered in deprived areas.
Tomlinson wrote that there remains “significant structural barriers for people living in Fife to access a healthy diet and stay physically active as part of their everyday lives”.
