LA Restricts Fast Food Restaurants

The government response to the obesity crisis has taken many forms over the last several years, including banning trans-fats, removing soda and candy from schools, and requiring calories to be posted on menus.  However, last month Los Angeles took perhaps the most aggressive step by banning the construction of fast food restaurants in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.   Public control over the built environment in the name of health has many advocates, including Tulane University’s Tom Farley who visited the Medical Center to discuss this very topic, which he has termed “healthscaping,” last year.  The restriction, which is coupled with incentives for new grocery stores and (healthier) restaurants to move into the neighborhoods, has ignited a debate over the line between public health and personal choice.

You can read a NY Times story about the debate over the ban here.