Fast Food
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51393 on Fast Food, how the (a) Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and (b) Public Health England defines a fast food outlet.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
In February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities published data on fast food outlets per 100,000 population. In this analysis, fast food was described as “food that is energy dense and available quickly, usually via a counter service, and for consumption on or off the premises”. This definition covers a range of outlets selling foods, including, but not limited to:
- burgers;
- pizza;
- kebabs;
- chicken;
- Indian takeaway;
- Chinese takeaway; and
- fish and chips.
Public Health England was abolished in 2021, but published comparable data, and in 2018 defined fast food as “energy dense food that is available quickly, therefore it covers a range of outlets that include, but are not limited to, burger bars, kebab and chicken shops, chip shops and pizza outlets.”
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