When I first heard about Los Angeles’ ban on fast food,inSouth L.A,I immediately envisioned a Seinfeld episode where the cast would try to go get Soup and they would be greeted by the Soup Nazi who would then declare, “No Soup for you”. Or a South Park episode where the cast would be so deprived of the greasy taste of fast food that they would resort to smuggling it in. Although these ideas seem to be blown vastly out of proportion, the idea of putting a two year moratorium on fast food in L.A was received in the same fashion. Isn’t banning fast food the same as a city banning comedy clubs because it makes the audience laugh too much? How could someone just completely ban fast food in an area?
No matter how outlandish the moratorium sounds it was well deserved in
South L.A. In L.A there are 8,200 restaurants and 45 percent of these
restaurants are fast food, which is a good amount for a city the size of Los
Angeles. In South L.A alone, however, there are 2,200 restaurants and 73 percent of them are fast food; this lead to alarming rates of obesity and type two
diabetes in south L.A among both adults and children.
In order to curb these extremely high rates the L.A school board decided,
in 2002, to ban soda, candy and fatty snacks s served in the schools. California
also passed a law that promoted the purchase of fruits and vegetables in corner stores and grocery stores. Efforts like this have been done before in areas
such as:Berkley, California, Port Jefferson, New York, Concord, Massachusetts,
and Calistoga, California. However the ban in Los Angeles was the first time in
which the health and wellbeing of the constituents of the city was in mind,
instead of the welfare of small businesses.
Although the idea of banning fast food and unhealthy snacks
sounds too simplistic to actually work, I can attest from personal experience
that removing unhealthy foods work. As a kid I used to be obese and was at risk
of getting diabetes. My mom, who has had diabetes for almost all of her life,
saw that I was on the verge of getting the same disease decided to make a pact with me that we would eat healthily for the next six months. By doing this I lost a tremendous amount of weight and was no longer at risk for having diabetes.
Similar to my mom the two year moratorium is a helping hand for
the 30 percent of adults and 29 percent of children who are obese and the 11.7
percent of people that have diabetes in South L.A. This moratorium will allow these people to find healthier eating choices at grocery stores or cause people to stop eating fast food altogether.
This ban with good intentions and all has a few flaws. One flaw
is that the ban fails to take into account the reason South L.A’s population is
more obese and unhealthy in comparison to the other parts of Los Angeles. This
is because there is more poverty in this area. In South Los Angeles 28 percent
of the people live in poverty. This makes it difficult for many of these people
to go out and buy fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods that might cost
as much as a meal from McDonalds. A way that the ban encourages those living in South Los Angeles to buy healthier items is by having the local corner stores
sell fruits and vegetables. This makes it easier for those who have a lower
socioeconomic background, such as the majority of the population of South L.A,
to have an opportunity to eat healthy.
Besides a monetary issue the ban also poses a problem with the restaurants that are not being banned. Restaurants such as Denny’s was exempt from the ban, even though Denny’s restaurants has meals such as there grilled cheese
sandwich, which is a normal cheese sandwich with four mozzarella sticks stuffed inside. Meals like the grilled cheese sandwich are unhealthier than most
McDonald’s meals; however, since Denny’s is not a fast food restaurant it is
exempt from the food ban. Although the fast food ban did not address fast food
casual restaurants, in future bans fast food casual restaurants should be banned
in the same fashion. Or in the very least the law should ban meals in these
restaurants that would be just as unhealthy as the fast food
restaurants.
Although the fast food ban at first glance appears to be absurd, the Los Angeles city council has good intentions, for the benefit of the constituents. By putting a two year moratorium on fast food the government is giving the population of South Los Angeles a chance to cleanse themselves of the effects of fast food such as diabetes and obesity. I say that by implementing healthier options and ending fast food, if this ban works it will become the standard for cities across America.
No matter how outlandish the moratorium sounds it was well deserved in
South L.A. In L.A there are 8,200 restaurants and 45 percent of these
restaurants are fast food, which is a good amount for a city the size of Los
Angeles. In South L.A alone, however, there are 2,200 restaurants and 73 percent of them are fast food; this lead to alarming rates of obesity and type two
diabetes in south L.A among both adults and children.
In order to curb these extremely high rates the L.A school board decided,
in 2002, to ban soda, candy and fatty snacks s served in the schools. California
also passed a law that promoted the purchase of fruits and vegetables in corner stores and grocery stores. Efforts like this have been done before in areas
such as:Berkley, California, Port Jefferson, New York, Concord, Massachusetts,
and Calistoga, California. However the ban in Los Angeles was the first time in
which the health and wellbeing of the constituents of the city was in mind,
instead of the welfare of small businesses.
Although the idea of banning fast food and unhealthy snacks
sounds too simplistic to actually work, I can attest from personal experience
that removing unhealthy foods work. As a kid I used to be obese and was at risk
of getting diabetes. My mom, who has had diabetes for almost all of her life,
saw that I was on the verge of getting the same disease decided to make a pact with me that we would eat healthily for the next six months. By doing this I lost a tremendous amount of weight and was no longer at risk for having diabetes.
Similar to my mom the two year moratorium is a helping hand for
the 30 percent of adults and 29 percent of children who are obese and the 11.7
percent of people that have diabetes in South L.A. This moratorium will allow these people to find healthier eating choices at grocery stores or cause people to stop eating fast food altogether.
This ban with good intentions and all has a few flaws. One flaw
is that the ban fails to take into account the reason South L.A’s population is
more obese and unhealthy in comparison to the other parts of Los Angeles. This
is because there is more poverty in this area. In South Los Angeles 28 percent
of the people live in poverty. This makes it difficult for many of these people
to go out and buy fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods that might cost
as much as a meal from McDonalds. A way that the ban encourages those living in South Los Angeles to buy healthier items is by having the local corner stores
sell fruits and vegetables. This makes it easier for those who have a lower
socioeconomic background, such as the majority of the population of South L.A,
to have an opportunity to eat healthy.
Besides a monetary issue the ban also poses a problem with the restaurants that are not being banned. Restaurants such as Denny’s was exempt from the ban, even though Denny’s restaurants has meals such as there grilled cheese
sandwich, which is a normal cheese sandwich with four mozzarella sticks stuffed inside. Meals like the grilled cheese sandwich are unhealthier than most
McDonald’s meals; however, since Denny’s is not a fast food restaurant it is
exempt from the food ban. Although the fast food ban did not address fast food
casual restaurants, in future bans fast food casual restaurants should be banned
in the same fashion. Or in the very least the law should ban meals in these
restaurants that would be just as unhealthy as the fast food
restaurants.
Although the fast food ban at first glance appears to be absurd, the Los Angeles city council has good intentions, for the benefit of the constituents. By putting a two year moratorium on fast food the government is giving the population of South Los Angeles a chance to cleanse themselves of the effects of fast food such as diabetes and obesity. I say that by implementing healthier options and ending fast food, if this ban works it will become the standard for cities across America.