Shocking: twice as much unhealthy food is available for sale in poor Dutch neighbourhoods
Research by Pointer makes it crystal clear: people in poor Dutch neighbourhoods eat much less healthily than people in affluent neighbourhoods. And that considerably shortens life expectancy—by an average of five years in some districts. Much of this has to do with the food available in the neighbourhood, as Pointer’s investigative journalists have demonstrated.
The difference is greatest in the Utrecht neighbourhoods of Overvecht and Tuindorp: the two neighbourhoods border each other, separated by a railway line. Pointer conducted data research into hospitality and retail data between 2011 and 2021. Everywhere, the number of fast-food outlets, ice-cream parlours and döner shops is increasing, while the number of bakeries, greengrocers and other fresh-food shops is shrinking.
When Pointer looked at where those unhealthy food outlets were located, another thing stood out: there are almost twice as many in poorer neighbourhoods as in more affluent residential areas. The figures? In a poor neighbourhood, there are eleven snack bars, sweet shops and doughnut shops per 10,000 residents, while in affluent neighbourhoods there are only six.
Obesity and diabetes
Not coincidentally, people with lower incomes are, on average, less healthy than people with higher incomes. These poorer residential areas have more people with obesity, diabetes and other health problems. This is not caused solely by the food you can buy on your street or in your neighbourhood, but there is a strong connection.
Eating habits
The differences are particularly visible in the Utrecht neighbourhoods of Overvecht and Tuindorp. Tuindorp is a 1930s neighbourhood with many owner-occupied homes; average incomes are high here. Across the railway line lies Overvecht. High-rise buildings, lower incomes. According to Pointer, people in Overvecht die an average of five years earlier than people in Tuindorp. The explanation: lower education levels, lower incomes, a weaker position in the labour market and poorer eating habits. And all those shawarma shops and snack bars in the neighbourhood do nothing positive to change that.
Chicken or egg?
The availability shapes demand, says food scientist Jaap Seidell of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He researched the availability of snack bars in Amsterdam neighbourhoods. ‘That means that when there is a lot of unhealthy food, a lot of unhealthy food is eaten.’ The House of Representatives is working on a so-called ‘junk-food law’; they are examining what is legally possible to create a healthier environment, particularly in neighbourhoods where that is not currently the case.
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- An ode to shawarma
Source: Pointer
