July 31st 2008
Fast Food Ban In South LA Means Less Places For Lohan To Eat
Filed under: food & drink, healthy living — hannah @ 12:35 pm
Add hamburgers and french fries to the endangered list!
Residents of South L.A. will have fewer fast food options in the coming year. The Los Angeles City Council has voted (unanimously!) to place a one year ban on construction of new fast food outlets. The moratorium will affect the poorest areas such as South Los Angeles, West Adams, Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park. These areas were found to have a 30% obesity rate in children compared to just 21% in the rest of the city.
Yikes. This may not please fast food junkies like Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton.
It’s a controversial move. The LA Times published a scathing opinion piece about the Council’s decision. But political considerations aside, it is a great thing for the environment. Fast food is a notorious contributor to massive paper and plastic waste. Hooray for fewer greasy hamburger wrappers and soda holders!
Good, but hopefully there will be enough healthier establishments pitching their tents as well.
Yes, these places are artery clogging hells, but they are also economic opportunities for the people living in these areas-and many poorer people are found working in fast food establishments to earn a living, get by, and support themselves and their families.
Now, these same poor people might have to spend more money to travel further away from their neighborhoods, pay sitters more money to watch children longer, or even not be able to work because they cannot get to it due to transportation and other issues.
There are a few healthy fast food restaurants. Zen Burger in New York and V.G. burger in Boulder. A better option would be to recruit fast food places that at least offer healthier options, such as more Subways or places of that sort.
Our neighborhood needs healthier places to eat….Thai, Indian food, raw, vegetarian, wraps and non-greasy burritos, anything! I can’t do the fast food and it’s hard to find healthy options to eat in MidCity and points south.
I think its great. and as far as people having to travel further… not if they open something more eco friendly in their place and they work there instead. also yes fast foods restaurants definitely huge contributers to the massive paper and plastic waste… and also don’t forget - even more so - to cutting down the rain forests…..
Peace E
Check out http://www.LeimertParkBeat.com for some of the great healthy and vegetarian restaurants we do have, albeit few and far between.
Also the city has made it clear, that this ban will be imposed on a case by case basis. So if Let’s Be Frank would deign to sell their great food in our area - there wouldn’t be a problem.
And it’s important to note that a separate measure passed by the city provides economic incentives for new grocery stores and restaurants with table service.
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