Los Angeles officials on Tuesday approved a one-year ban on fast-food chains opening in a poor neighborhood of the city plagued by obesity, officials said.
The moratorium covers the 500,000 people living in the 83km2 area of South Los Angeles, which is predominantly Hispanic and African-American.
Designed to encourage healthier eating habits, the move is believed to be the first time fast-food outlets have been restricted from opening on health grounds.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
A spokeswoman for the law’s sponsor, Los Angeles City councilor Jan Perry, said the law was approved 12-0 during a hearing on Tuesday that was interrupted by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that hit the region.
Under California law, fast-food restaurants are defined as establishments that have a limited menu, sell items prepared in advance or heated quickly, have no table orders and serve food in disposable packaging.
In all of Los Angeles, South Los Angeles has the highest concentration of fast-food chains or restaurants with minimal seating, accounting for 45 percent of all eateries in that area, reports have said.
The Los Angeles law comes after California became the first US state to ban artificial trans fats last week. Under the new legislation, trans fats will be outlawed in restaurants across the state from 2010.
Separately, looking to entice those hungry for a healthier option, Dunkin’ Donuts will begin offering a new slate of better-for-you offerings next month.
The menu, which will debut in stores on Aug. 6, will feature two new flatbread sandwiches made with egg whites.
Customers will be able to choose either a turkey sausage egg-white sandwich or a vegetable one. Both will have less than 300 calories with 9g of fat or less, the company said.
“We just felt it was important to provide some choice in our menu,” said Will Kussell, president and chief brand officer.
The new menu will be called DDSmart and will include all current and new items that either have 25 percent fewer calories, sugar, fat or sodium than comparable products or contain ingredients that are “nutritionally beneficial,” the company said.
A number of restaurants have added better-for-you options to their menus in the past few years to take advantage of a trend toward healthier eating.
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