The rapid expansion of places offering unhealthy food is making it increasingly difficult to maintain healthy eating habits in Flanders.
The Flemish region is experiencing a growing number of neighbourhoods with an abundance of "food swamps" or in other words, unhealthy eating places, a recent study by Sciensano Health Institute has shown. One-fourth of neighbourhoods only have unhealthy outlets, while barely 1.6% of Flemish people live in neighbourhoods with more healthy than unhealthy outlets.
"There is therefore high temptation to choose unhealthy over healthy food options," said Vincent Smets of Sciensano, who conducted the study highlighting how people's so-called "food environment" has changed significantly in recent decades.
Concerning findings
The researcher stressed that, because of the high density of supermarkets in Flanders, the number of food — referring to neighbourhoods where the availability of healthy food is substandard — is relatively limited.
However, neighbourhoods with many elderly people are increasingly becoming food deserts.
"Older people are more likely to face mobility limitations, making it harder for them to access healthy foods. This trend could continue with an increasing ageing population in the coming years," the report read, adding that the effects of an unhealthy food environment mainly play against the elderly, but also against young people and low-income families.
"Both the expanding unhealthy food swamps and the trend that more and more elderly people are at risk of ending up in a food desert are of concern to us," said Smets.
Policy changes needed
In light of these findings, the health institute called for action to allow people to make healthier choices and adopt healthier lifestyles. "
"Interventions to structurally improve the Flemish food environment are therefore pressing. And in doing so, attention must certainly be paid to the most vulnerable groups," Smets argued, explaining that this requires a "clear regulatory framework" that enables action but also clarifies competencies at different levels of government.
In anticipation of this system, he stressed local authorities can already start raising awareness on food environments. For example, by taking into account the impact on the food environment when granting environmental permits to fast-food chains.
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According to Sciensano, the Flemish Institute for Healthy Living will work to get a clearer picture of vulnerable neighbourhoods and set up local improvement actions.
"A study to map the possibilities and bottlenecks of the existing regulations would be a good starting point," said Stefanie Vandevijvere, a scientist at Sciensano, referring to a Dutch study which resulted in a new regulatory framework allowing local governments to curb the number of fast food restaurants on their territory.
