Dublin City Council has voted for a 250-metre ban on fast food outlets opening near schools, creating a 'no-fry zone' which has been described as "highly discriminatory" by Irish business group Ibec.
The group and its sectors, which "lobby government, policy makers and other key stakeholders nationally and internationally", told the council that there was an absence of evidence to support the claim that the ban would safeguard the health of children.
Preventing the opening of fast food outlets near schools has become an increasingly hot topic among communities lately with Wexford County Council increasing its ban from 200 to 400 metres, as well as Fingal and Dun Laoghaire councils already having restrictions in place.
The ban was originally proposed by councillor Ciarán Cuffe, who rejected Ibec's claim that there was no link between childhood obesity and fastfood, referring to a study by The National Bureau of Economic Research, reports Fora.ie.
Taking a page from Wexford County Council's book, Cuffe referred to the ban as a stepping stone, saying: "I think we should look at a wider radius, but I don’t know whether I would have received support from the full council for that. I want to make sure we don’t simply close down the possibility."
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