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Large fast food chains could be prevented from setting up in areas saturated with unhealthy eateries under major changes to state planning laws being considered by the Allan government.
The proposal follows more than a decade of campaigning by health experts concerned about the spread of fast food chains, which sell high-fat, salty and sugary food, particularly in growth corridors where there are fewer healthier options.
The changes would allow local councils to oppose planning applications based on health and food security concerns.
Willie Robinson says he enjoys the convenience of fast food but knows it’s not particularly healthy.Credit: Penny Stephens
While councils are divided on whether they should be given greater powers, the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association has described the plan as a slippery slope that would give councils too much control over the types of businesses allowed in particular areas.
“This approach is open to value judgments about which businesses are ‘good for you’ and which are not,” the association’s chair, John Hart, said.
“Whether or not food consumed at any business is healthy or not is entirely up to the choices the individual makes ... [for instance] what they order and their personal circumstances.”
A row of fast food restaurants in Armstrong Creek, on the outskirts of Geelong.Credit: Alex Coppel
A state government spokeswoman confirmed it was considering including health and food security in Victoria’s planning provisions. The change was a recommendation in a recent parliamentary inquiry into food security.
“This could include consideration of changes to the planning system to improve access to providers of affordable and nutritious food, and reduce the density of some large-chain food premises to protect health outcomes in Victoria,” the government said in its July response to the inquiry.
On Monday, The Age reported on the proliferation of fast food outlets in the state’s growth corridors, where there are often fewer healthy options. Research has found that people who live in areas saturated with unhealthy food, and less access to healthy food, are more likely to be overweight, and have conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Professor Anna Peeters, chief executive of VicHealth, welcomed the development and said everyone deserved access to healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food.
“We know that only 5 per cent of Victorians are getting their recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables, and across Australia almost a third of food budgets are spent on fast food and eating out,” she said.
A resident of Melbourne’s south-west, Willie Robinson stops for a quick meal at a fast food chain two to three times a week. While he knows it’s an unhealthy habit and he’s not overly impressed with the taste, he enjoys the price and convenience of picking up a meal as he travels between his two homes – in Ocean Grove and Hoppers Crossing.
He has mixed feelings about councils being given powers to curtail the number of fast food outlets in their areas.
“It’s almost like planning to save people from themselves,” he said.
Robinson would also like to see education campaigns about the harmful effects of fast food, and a requirement for fast food outlets to offer a reasonable selection of healthy options.
The 65-year-old is trying to lose weight and recently joined Diabetes Victoria’s Life program, which he hopes provides the support he needs to adjust his diet and lifestyle.
“I have relatives who have had diabetes, heart issues or strokes. Those things are in my mind.”
Surf Coast Shire Mayor Mike Bodsworth said state planning regulations did not offer much scope to block or limit proposals for unhealthy food outlets.
“In our local towns where there’s a lot of pride in the unique character of the town and landscape, we know there are concerns about multinational franchises and their impact on that sense of place,” he said.
But other councils, such as Glenelg Shire in the state’s far west, believe that giving local governments the power to reject businesses based on food type would stifle economic growth, discourage innovation, and place an extra burden on councils.
Jane Martin, executive manager of the Food for Health Alliance, said it had been incredibly challenging for communities to fight against fast food outlets, due to the limitations of the state’s planning laws.
She highlighted a 2011 high-profile case in Tecoma, which involved the local community and council fiercely opposing a proposed McDonald’s restaurant at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. Despite widespread objection, the multinational company successfully appealed the council’s decision in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, winning the right to build.
“We want to prevent people from getting sick,” Martin said. “Having a lot of these large-chain fast food outlets and limited healthy food options is a real concern. They often swamp areas where there is already disadvantage.”
Heart Foundation Victorian general manager Chris Enright said there was a strong connection between diets high in saturated fat, salt and sugar and poor heart health.
She welcomed the proposed changes and said that while governments had taken urgent steps to reduce the road toll and regulate tobacco, vapes and alcohol, there had been little action to curb access to unhealthy food.
“When food environments are dominated by outlets serving these types of foods, it makes heart-healthy choices harder,” she said, adding that the death rate from heart attacks was five times higher than the state’s road toll.
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Australian Urban Observatory director at RMIT University Melanie Davern said planning decisions should consider the health of affected communities.
Under the current system, planning and health were dealt with in separate legislation.
Davern said including health provision in planning laws would enable councils to make better decisions on applications for things such as fast food restaurants, promoting health in their communities.
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