Call for a fast-food ban in and around schools
The surroundings of secondary schools should become healthier, according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, Foodwatch and Jongeren op Gezond Gewicht (JOGG). Within a radius of one kilometre, they hope to ban all shawarma and chip shops.
The VO-raad — which represents secondary education — fully agrees. “It is of course strange that we do all kinds of things inside schools to make food healthier, while a lot of fatty food is available in the immediate surroundings,” their spokesperson tells AD.
Reason
Those soggy sandwiches also get so boring after a while, so students would rather walk around the block for a shawarma sandwich or a portion of loaded fries. At Blariacumcollege in Blerick, things are getting out of hand, and the local CDA and SP want to put a stop to it. At their request, the municipality of Venlo will investigate whether it is possible to introduce a sales ban in the area surrounding the school.
The culprit
The organisations advocating for the ban believe municipalities could do more, if the will is there. Jasper de Vries of the Netherlands Nutrition Centre tells BNNVARA: “But not enough is happening. A school is now at its wit’s end. They cannot forbid students from leaving the premises. And if they can then buy a sandwich like that a few metres away…” According to De Vries, the main culprit is how easily fast food is available. It is often cheap and available everywhere. “The threshold should therefore be raised.”
Obesity
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, fourteen per cent of children aged between 12 and 17 are overweight, and that percentage has been rising for years. One third of schools already have a healthy cafeteria, but more needs to be done. Perhaps this fast-food ban will bring that percentage down again.
