Los Angeles passes ban on new fast-food outlets

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Los Angeles officials on Tuesday approved a one-year ban on fast-food chains opening in a poor neighborhood of the city plagued by obesity, officials said.

The moratorium covers the 500,000 people living in the 32-square mile area of South Los Angeles, which is predominantly Hispanic and African-American.

Designed to encourage healthier eating habits, the move is believed to be the first time fast-food outlets have been restricted from opening on health grounds.

A spokeswoman for the law's sponsor, Los Angeles City councillor Jan Perry, said the law was approved 12-0 during a hearing on Tuesday that was interrupted by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that hit the region.

Under California law, fast-food restaurants are defined as...