Get stuffed. Can fast food outlets stop taking over our towns?

The Advertiser

10-07-2025

When a Macca's opened not far from my house, I panicked. My kids were still little and I worried about the impact of golden arches on their tiny bodies.
Sure, I was the kind of mother who could easily say no to whingeing children, but how much easier is it if you don't have to have that conversation in the first place.
Now it turns out that I am joined on my own personal crusade (which included walking around the long way) by folks all over the world.
They want their local areas to just say no to fast food outlets for very good reasons.
Gateshead Council, in England's north-east, banned any existing non-fast-food commercial property from being converted into a hot fast-food takeaway.
What happened next? British researchers found that those planning policies led to fewer overweight and obese children in that area.
They even compared the health of kids from one area to others which had much higher densities of fast food outlets, just to make sure their evidence stacked up. It did.
Australians are good at that, too. I came across Monash University's Elizabeth Taylor's work which documents protests against fastfoodification in Ballarat as early as 1977 and Victoria's Clifton Hill in 1987.
The best known of all the resident fightbacks is, as Taylor writes, was the "Mountains against McDonald's" campaign by NSW Blue Mountains groups against three proposed McDonald's outlets in the region between 1995 and 2003.
Now those campaigns are on the rise again. Proposals for two McDonald's outlets in suburban Sydney are facing backlash over potential noise impacts, "antisocial behaviour", traffic congestion and perceived health risks. Nearly 4000 people signed a petition in opposition to these developments.
In Tamworth, the vibe is so similar. Residents are not pleased at the prospect of a third Hungry Jack's in the area, especially when the second one hasn't even been completed. One reader wrote to Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader: "We're known as the fattest town in Australia, and the prevalence of unhealthy takeaways is a big reason why." No one wanted Hungry Jack's in Wallsend either.
It's nice to see a politician involved.
Last month The Canberra Times's Jasper Lindell reported that ACT City City Services Minister Tara Cheyne wants fast food outlets to move on from the main retail strip in Belconnen which she has dubbed her "problem child".
"I'd love the business mix to change. ... They all have a place, but I don't think the best place for them is across from one of the most beautiful, picturesque lakes and vistas that we've got."
And let's not forget the drama at ACT's Chisholm shops.
So why does it matter?
So much tells us why we shouldn't let this happen. US researchers tell us adolescent males who live in environments with very high numbers of fast food restaurants eat at fast food restaurants more often compared to their peers.
Other research says neighborhood-level fast-food outlet regulation might work to reduce inequalities in diet and obesity.
Plus poverty adds to the pressure, according to international studies. Where there is food insecurity, young people are more likely to turn to fast food.
So what can we do? All those residents who pushed back had the right idea.
The University of Wollongong's Katherine Kent, a nutrition researcher, says it's really hard for people to walk out into their community and make a healthy food choice.
"There's growing access to unhealthy food outlets all across Australia and what that means is even if somebody wants to eat a healthy diet, they're confronted with various unhealthy food outlets," she says.
Of course, it's much easier to make a speedy food decision when it's there in front of you and doesn't require any preparation.
Kent says: "We know that where you live matters, so if you're living in a region where there's minimal access to fast food, you're just much less likely to have an unhealthy diet versus somebody who might walk out of their home and be confronted with six or seven fast food outlets in a concentrated hub."
And this is where local councils have an important part to play in urban planning. But as Kent points out, they are small organisations in the scheme of things. She's had lots of conversations with councils.
"They're really acutely aware of this problem of this overabundance of fast food outlets, but when we talk to them they feel that their hands are tied with regards to urban planning. They feel that they are unable to push back on applications for new and healthy food outlets that are being put in for application into local councils."
Plus it also relies on residents being the activists, having the agency to take matters into their own hands.
READ MORE JENNA PRICE:
"What we have found is that sometimes people don't have a lot of agency. They can be unhappy with their own environment but not know what to do in order to change that food environment," she says.
And Kent admires the many communities who've pushed back.
"The idea that communities is are taking charge over their own health is really wonderful but what it does signal is that urban planners or councils or even state governments are a little bit out of touch with what communities want."
Amen to that. Kent admires the actions of the Redfern community in resisting McDonald's. It was a whole bunch of different groups coming together.
But she says what residents everywhere need is the unity of the state to provide more stringent laws and regulations and policies that actually allow urban planners to say this: "We cannot have another fast food outlet here because the ratio of healthy to unhealthy food is too high."
As it already is.
When a Macca's opened not far from my house, I panicked. My kids were still little and I worried about the impact of golden arches on their tiny bodies.
Sure, I was the kind of mother who could easily say no to whingeing children, but how much easier is it if you don't have to have that conversation in the first place.
Now it turns out that I am joined on my own personal crusade (which included walking around the long way) by folks all over the world.
They want their local areas to just say no to fast food outlets for very good reasons.
Gateshead Council, in England's north-east, banned any existing non-fast-food commercial property from being converted into a hot fast-food takeaway.
What happened next? British researchers found that those planning policies led to fewer overweight and obese children in that area.
They even compared the health of kids from one area to others which had much higher densities of fast food outlets, just to make sure their evidence stacked up. It did.
Australians are good at that, too. I came across Monash University's Elizabeth Taylor's work which documents protests against fastfoodification in Ballarat as early as 1977 and Victoria's Clifton Hill in 1987.
The best known of all the resident fightbacks is, as Taylor writes, was the "Mountains against McDonald's" campaign by NSW Blue Mountains groups against three proposed McDonald's outlets in the region between 1995 and 2003.
Now those campaigns are on the rise again. Proposals for two McDonald's outlets in suburban Sydney are facing backlash over potential noise impacts, "antisocial behaviour", traffic congestion and perceived health risks. Nearly 4000 people signed a petition in opposition to these developments.
In Tamworth, the vibe is so similar. Residents are not pleased at the prospect of a third Hungry Jack's in the area, especially when the second one hasn't even been completed. One reader wrote to Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader: "We're known as the fattest town in Australia, and the prevalence of unhealthy takeaways is a big reason why." No one wanted Hungry Jack's in Wallsend either.
It's nice to see a politician involved.
Last month The Canberra Times's Jasper Lindell reported that ACT City City Services Minister Tara Cheyne wants fast food outlets to move on from the main retail strip in Belconnen which she has dubbed her "problem child".
"I'd love the business mix to change. ... They all have a place, but I don't think the best place for them is across from one of the most beautiful, picturesque lakes and vistas that we've got."
And let's not forget the drama at ACT's Chisholm shops.
So why does it matter?
So much tells us why we shouldn't let this happen. US researchers tell us adolescent males who live in environments with very high numbers of fast food restaurants eat at fast food restaurants more often compared to their peers.
Other research says neighborhood-level fast-food outlet regulation might work to reduce inequalities in diet and obesity.
Plus poverty adds to the pressure, according to international studies. Where there is food insecurity, young people are more likely to turn to fast food.
So what can we do? All those residents who pushed back had the right idea.
The University of Wollongong's Katherine Kent, a nutrition researcher, says it's really hard for people to walk out into their community and make a healthy food choice.
"There's growing access to unhealthy food outlets all across Australia and what that means is even if somebody wants to eat a healthy diet, they're confronted with various unhealthy food outlets," she says.
Of course, it's much easier to make a speedy food decision when it's there in front of you and doesn't require any preparation.
Kent says: "We know that where you live matters, so if you're living in a region where there's minimal access to fast food, you're just much less likely to have an unhealthy diet versus somebody who might walk out of their home and be confronted with six or seven fast food outlets in a concentrated hub."
And this is where local councils have an important part to play in urban planning. But as Kent points out, they are small organisations in the scheme of things. She's had lots of conversations with councils.
"They're really acutely aware of this problem of this overabundance of fast food outlets, but when we talk to them they feel that their hands are tied with regards to urban planning. They feel that they are unable to push back on applications for new and healthy food outlets that are being put in for application into local councils."
Plus it also relies on residents being the activists, having the agency to take matters into their own hands.
READ MORE JENNA PRICE:
"What we have found is that sometimes people don't have a lot of agency. They can be unhappy with their own environment but not know what to do in order to change that food environment," she says.
And Kent admires the many communities who've pushed back.
"The idea that communities is are taking charge over their own health is really wonderful but what it does signal is that urban planners or councils or even state governments are a little bit out of touch with what communities want."
Amen to that. Kent admires the actions of the Redfern community in resisting McDonald's. It was a whole bunch of different groups coming together.
But she says what residents everywhere need is the unity of the state to provide more stringent laws and regulations and policies that actually allow urban planners to say this: "We cannot have another fast food outlet here because the ratio of healthy to unhealthy food is too high."
As it already is.
When a Macca's opened not far from my house, I panicked. My kids were still little and I worried about the impact of golden arches on their tiny bodies.
Sure, I was the kind of mother who could easily say no to whingeing children, but how much easier is it if you don't have to have that conversation in the first place.
Now it turns out that I am joined on my own personal crusade (which included walking around the long way) by folks all over the world.
They want their local areas to just say no to fast food outlets for very good reasons.
Gateshead Council, in England's north-east, banned any existing non-fast-food commercial property from being converted into a hot fast-food takeaway.
What happened next? British researchers found that those planning policies led to fewer overweight and obese children in that area.
They even compared the health of kids from one area to others which had much higher densities of fast food outlets, just to make sure their evidence stacked up. It did.
Australians are good at that, too. I came across Monash University's Elizabeth Taylor's work which documents protests against fastfoodification in Ballarat as early as 1977 and Victoria's Clifton Hill in 1987.
The best known of all the resident fightbacks is, as Taylor writes, was the "Mountains against McDonald's" campaign by NSW Blue Mountains groups against three proposed McDonald's outlets in the region between 1995 and 2003.
Now those campaigns are on the rise again. Proposals for two McDonald's outlets in suburban Sydney are facing backlash over potential noise impacts, "antisocial behaviour", traffic congestion and perceived health risks. Nearly 4000 people signed a petition in opposition to these developments.
In Tamworth, the vibe is so similar. Residents are not pleased at the prospect of a third Hungry Jack's in the area, especially when the second one hasn't even been completed. One reader wrote to Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader: "We're known as the fattest town in Australia, and the prevalence of unhealthy takeaways is a big reason why." No one wanted Hungry Jack's in Wallsend either.
It's nice to see a politician involved.
Last month The Canberra Times's Jasper Lindell reported that ACT City City Services Minister Tara Cheyne wants fast food outlets to move on from the main retail strip in Belconnen which she has dubbed her "problem child".
"I'd love the business mix to change. ... They all have a place, but I don't think the best place for them is across from one of the most beautiful, picturesque lakes and vistas that we've got."
And let's not forget the drama at ACT's Chisholm shops.
So why does it matter?
So much tells us why we shouldn't let this happen. US researchers tell us adolescent males who live in environments with very high numbers of fast food restaurants eat at fast food restaurants more often compared to their peers.
Other research says neighborhood-level fast-food outlet regulation might work to reduce inequalities in diet and obesity.
Plus poverty adds to the pressure, according to international studies. Where there is food insecurity, young people are more likely to turn to fast food.
So what can we do? All those residents who pushed back had the right idea.
The University of Wollongong's Katherine Kent, a nutrition researcher, says it's really hard for people to walk out into their community and make a healthy food choice.
"There's growing access to unhealthy food outlets all across Australia and what that means is even if somebody wants to eat a healthy diet, they're confronted with various unhealthy food outlets," she says.
Of course, it's much easier to make a speedy food decision when it's there in front of you and doesn't require any preparation.
Kent says: "We know that where you live matters, so if you're living in a region where there's minimal access to fast food, you're just much less likely to have an unhealthy diet versus somebody who might walk out of their home and be confronted with six or seven fast food outlets in a concentrated hub."
And this is where local councils have an important part to play in urban planning. But as Kent points out, they are small organisations in the scheme of things. She's had lots of conversations with councils.
"They're really acutely aware of this problem of this overabundance of fast food outlets, but when we talk to them they feel that their hands are tied with regards to urban planning. They feel that they are unable to push back on applications for new and healthy food outlets that are being put in for application into local councils."
Plus it also relies on residents being the activists, having the agency to take matters into their own hands.
READ MORE JENNA PRICE:
"What we have found is that sometimes people don't have a lot of agency. They can be unhappy with their own environment but not know what to do in order to change that food environment," she says.
And Kent admires the many communities who've pushed back.
"The idea that communities is are taking charge over their own health is really wonderful but what it does signal is that urban planners or councils or even state governments are a little bit out of touch with what communities want."
Amen to that. Kent admires the actions of the Redfern community in resisting McDonald's. It was a whole bunch of different groups coming together.
But she says what residents everywhere need is the unity of the state to provide more stringent laws and regulations and policies that actually allow urban planners to say this: "We cannot have another fast food outlet here because the ratio of healthy to unhealthy food is too high."
As it already is.
When a Macca's opened not far from my house, I panicked. My kids were still little and I worried about the impact of golden arches on their tiny bodies.
Sure, I was the kind of mother who could easily say no to whingeing children, but how much easier is it if you don't have to have that conversation in the first place.
Now it turns out that I am joined on my own personal crusade (which included walking around the long way) by folks all over the world.
They want their local areas to just say no to fast food outlets for very good reasons.
Gateshead Council, in England's north-east, banned any existing non-fast-food commercial property from being converted into a hot fast-food takeaway.
What happened next? British researchers found that those planning policies led to fewer overweight and obese children in that area.
They even compared the health of kids from one area to others which had much higher densities of fast food outlets, just to make sure their evidence stacked up. It did.
Australians are good at that, too. I came across Monash University's Elizabeth Taylor's work which documents protests against fastfoodification in Ballarat as early as 1977 and Victoria's Clifton Hill in 1987.
The best known of all the resident fightbacks is, as Taylor writes, was the "Mountains against McDonald's" campaign by NSW Blue Mountains groups against three proposed McDonald's outlets in the region between 1995 and 2003.
Now those campaigns are on the rise again. Proposals for two McDonald's outlets in suburban Sydney are facing backlash over potential noise impacts, "antisocial behaviour", traffic congestion and perceived health risks. Nearly 4000 people signed a petition in opposition to these developments.
In Tamworth, the vibe is so similar. Residents are not pleased at the prospect of a third Hungry Jack's in the area, especially when the second one hasn't even been completed. One reader wrote to Tamworth's Northern Daily Leader: "We're known as the fattest town in Australia, and the prevalence of unhealthy takeaways is a big reason why." No one wanted Hungry Jack's in Wallsend either.
It's nice to see a politician involved.
Last month The Canberra Times's Jasper Lindell reported that ACT City City Services Minister Tara Cheyne wants fast food outlets to move on from the main retail strip in Belconnen which she has dubbed her "problem child".
"I'd love the business mix to change. ... They all have a place, but I don't think the best place for them is across from one of the most beautiful, picturesque lakes and vistas that we've got."
And let's not forget the drama at ACT's Chisholm shops.
So why does it matter?
So much tells us why we shouldn't let this happen. US researchers tell us adolescent males who live in environments with very high numbers of fast food restaurants eat at fast food restaurants more often compared to their peers.
Other research says neighborhood-level fast-food outlet regulation might work to reduce inequalities in diet and obesity.
Plus poverty adds to the pressure, according to international studies. Where there is food insecurity, young people are more likely to turn to fast food.
So what can we do? All those residents who pushed back had the right idea.
The University of Wollongong's Katherine Kent, a nutrition researcher, says it's really hard for people to walk out into their community and make a healthy food choice.
"There's growing access to unhealthy food outlets all across Australia and what that means is even if somebody wants to eat a healthy diet, they're confronted with various unhealthy food outlets," she says.
Of course, it's much easier to make a speedy food decision when it's there in front of you and doesn't require any preparation.
Kent says: "We know that where you live matters, so if you're living in a region where there's minimal access to fast food, you're just much less likely to have an unhealthy diet versus somebody who might walk out of their home and be confronted with six or seven fast food outlets in a concentrated hub."
And this is where local councils have an important part to play in urban planning. But as Kent points out, they are small organisations in the scheme of things. She's had lots of conversations with councils.
"They're really acutely aware of this problem of this overabundance of fast food outlets, but when we talk to them they feel that their hands are tied with regards to urban planning. They feel that they are unable to push back on applications for new and healthy food outlets that are being put in for application into local councils."
Plus it also relies on residents being the activists, having the agency to take matters into their own hands.
READ MORE JENNA PRICE:
"What we have found is that sometimes people don't have a lot of agency. They can be unhappy with their own environment but not know what to do in order to change that food environment," she says.
And Kent admires the many communities who've pushed back.
"The idea that communities is are taking charge over their own health is really wonderful but what it does signal is that urban planners or councils or even state governments are a little bit out of touch with what communities want."
Amen to that. Kent admires the actions of the Redfern community in resisting McDonald's. It was a whole bunch of different groups coming together.
But she says what residents everywhere need is the unity of the state to provide more stringent laws and regulations and policies that actually allow urban planners to say this: "We cannot have another fast food outlet here because the ratio of healthy to unhealthy food is too high."
As it already is.