Fast food firms 'want prime sites near schools to sell junk food to kids'

 
In demand: fast food chains compete for prime spots near local schools
Lucy Young

Fast food firms are outbidding each other to grab prime sites near schools and colleges to peddle “junk food” to children.

The hunger for lucrative spots has inflated shop lease prices by up to a fifth, with chains prepared to pay extra for the chance of guaranteed take-away profits, experts say.

Food outlets are sometimes the only bidders for vacant shops around the capital, causing a mini property bubble for premises that have licences to sell fried chicken, chips, pizzas and kebabs.

“It is clear that fast food companies value a site near a school and are prepared to bid high for them. In some cases, they will even outbid each other which pushes the price up beyond the normal lease values,” said Morris Greenberg of property lease specialists Cedar Dean Gilmarc.

“It is effectively a fast food auction. They know they have a passing audience that is hard-wired to fast food so it makes business sense to go where that trade is. It is no coincidence that the competition for leases is greater the closer the schools. This is happening around the country.”

The battle to sell fast food to children comes as concern mounts over spiralling youth obesity rates. The latest figures from Public Health England reveal that 18.9 per cent of children aged ten to 11-years-old are obese and a further 14.4 per cent are overweight.

Local authorities can refuse permission for a new take-away within 400 metres of a school’s gates, a play centre or a park, and a change in planning laws makes it harder for firms to transform vacant shops into take-aways.

But it is not slowing down the fast food frenzy. Mr Greenberg cited one example of a scramble to take over a lucrative spot in Clapham Park Road, Clapham, that is near five colleges and schools — a primary is just 650 metres away and two other schools are within half a mile. A pizza chain won the bid. “Its only rivals were other fast food chains,” he said.

“The food companies say they are not targeting children but are simply looking for busy areas where they can expect to do good business. But one of the main problems is that many schools in London are close to high streets and shopping areas.”

A spokesman for the local Lambeth council declined to comment on the Clapham case. But Barking and Dagenham council now insists fast food businesses contribute £1,000 to tackle childhood obesity initiatives before granting licences, and ice cream vans are banned near schools and nurseries in Hillingdon.

Your Say: may as well drink fat

Emma Harnett, 34, a full-time mother of two said: “I have seen lines of children outside chicken shops. The food is terrible but it’s irresistible to children of a certain age as it’s cheap and available.

“It’s a real concern, especially as my children get older. I don’t give them fast food but when their peers are eating it I’m sure they will be tempted.”

Shahid Latif, 53, owner of Shalamar Chicken and Jacs said: “We offer children a £1 deal — chips, a sausage, a wing and potato wedges. They love it. I don’t feel bad serving them. Schools don’t offer them what they want and we do.

“Our food is healthy. We use rapeseed oil which is better for you.”

Kenneth Boston, 51, a painter and decorator said: “There are far too many fast food shops around here. They are always packed out with children.

“The food is terrible for them — they may as well be drinking fat and eating salt. But if you give children money that’s where they want to go. It’s bad.”

Mohammed Noor, 31, owner of Pizza Inn said: “We get kids in here all the time. They are good for business. The £1 pizza here is the most popular.

“I don’t feel bad or guilty about serving children. Our pizzas have very little cheese. They have fresh vegetables on and fresh chicken.”

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