4 September 2021
Overweight and obesity cause major health problems worldwide. Yet fast food chains and cafeterias are sprouting up like mushrooms and municipalities are watching from the sidelines. There is almost nothing they can do to stop suppliers of uneahlthy food. Therefore, they are looking for legal grounds to fight the unhealthy food environment. Two researchers from the Law Center for Health & Life, Hannah van Kolfschooten and Anniek de Ruijter, contributed to the study commissioned by the municipalities of Amsterdam, Ede, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The study aimed to gain insight into the legal possibilities for a municipalities to ensure a healthy food environment. In conversation with the presenters of Nieuwsweekend, Van Kolfschooten discusses the (indirect) possibilities that municipalities currently have to ensure a healthy food environment and why it is necessary to broaden the legal scope of municipalities to do more.