Almost one in five schools ‘has five fast food outlets in walking distance’

Almost one in five secondary schools in Northern Ireland has five or more fast food outlets within 400 metres, new research has found.

The report from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) assessed the availability of fast food and grocery retailers across the region and their distance from schools.

It found a wide variation of availability across local government districts, with on average 2.4 times more fast food outlets than grocery retailers.

Naomi Davidson, head of science and surveillance at FSA NI, said: “We know from the Health Inequalities Annual Report that an average of 5.6% of Year 8 pupils in Northern Ireland live with obesity, with a higher proportion observed in the most deprived areas.

“We also know from research in England that there are more fast food outlets in highly deprived areas.

“At the FSA in Northern Ireland, we have a remit for dietary health and as part of our efforts to support effective policy development, we felt we needed clearer insight on the fast food landscape in Northern Ireland.

“To deliver this we commissioned Cada Consulting to undertake a research study to assess the availability of fast food outlets and grocery retailers within a 400m radius, or a five-minute walk, from each secondary school in Northern Ireland.”

Findings of the report included:

– On average, there are 116.8 fast food outlets per 100,000 of the population in Northern Ireland.

– In Northern Ireland, on average there are 2.2 fast food outlets within a 400m radius of a secondary school and on average 0.8 grocery retailers within a 400m radius.

– Almost one in five (17%) of schools in Northern Ireland has five or more fast food outlets within a 400m radius.

– 50% of schools have no fast food outlets within a 400m radius while 56% of schools have no grocery retailers within a 400m radius.

– Of the secondary schools with no grocery retailers within 400m, 20% have at least one fast food outlet within 400m.

– Across Northern Ireland, there are approximately 2.5 times as many secondary schools with one or more fast food outlets in the most deprived areas compared to the least; and approximately three times as many secondary schools with one or more grocery retailers in the most deprived areas compared to the least.

Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Food Standards Agency, said: “The FSA is pleased to be working in partnership with the Department of Health to reduce the prevalence of obesity in Northern Ireland.

“Healthy food for our children at school is important to support their day to day learning, but it is also a formative period of their life to develop healthy habits for life.

“Understanding the food environments close to schools can help develop policies to increase the likelihood of children having nutritious food during the school day.”