Research across major Dutch cities reveals that only 4% of food outlets promote healthy eating, prompting calls for greater local authority to restrict unhealthy options near schools amidst increasing obesity concerns.
In the Netherlands’ largest cities, finding a place to buy a healthy meal is still difficult. An inventory by Amsterdam UMC found that only about 4% of food outlets in ten major municipalities fit within what researchers described as a healthy lifestyle, while the rest were dominated by products high in fat, salt and sugar. According to the research, the food environment in these cities has often become less healthy over the past decade, with more fast food and fewer options that align with dietary advice.
The study, carried out for municipalities, the Dutch Nutrition Centre and organisations campaigning for a healthier younger generation, covered Almere, Amsterdam, Breda, The Hague, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Groningen, Leiden, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Tilburg. The findings add to a growing body of Dutch research suggesting that the surroundings in which people live, study and shop shape what they eat far more than individual willpower alone. A separate study presented in ’s-Hertogenbosch found that more than 90% of products sold at around 30 food outlets near five schools fell outside Dutch nutritional guidelines, underlining how heavily students are exposed to unhealthy choices.
Campaigners and health experts are now urging the government to give municipalities more power to limit unhealthy food outlets locally, particularly near schools. Liesbeth Velema, a behavioural expert at the Dutch Nutrition Centre, said people’s diets are largely determined by the options in front of them and that foods rich in fat, sugar and salt are harder to resist because the brain is drawn to them. Amsterdam councillor Alexander Scholtes has also backed more local control, saying cities need greater authority to reduce unhealthy food near schools. That call reflects wider legal and academic work, including research at the University of Amsterdam into tools that municipalities could use to create healthier urban food environments.
The pressure for change comes against a backdrop of rising obesity and a fast-expanding takeaway sector. The Dutch statistics office has said the number of fast-food outlets in the Netherlands has risen by 88% since 2007. Public health researchers and the Dutch Public Health Foresight Study have linked this growth to a food system that increasingly promotes high-sugar, high-fat and high-salt products, while a recent analysis of supermarket dynamics found that pricing, convenience and commercial incentives keep unhealthy choices prominent. The organisations behind the Amsterdam UMC study hope the issue can be addressed in a new Food Act, but the current cabinet has shown little sign of wanting to intervene directly in the food supply.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
