‘Takeaways should make salt shakers dispense less’

Fast food outlets across London were today challenged to use “health by stealth” to reduce salt and the calorie count in their meals.

Chicken shops, kebab houses and other takeaways were urged to adopt tactics including salt shakers with fewer holes, frying with healthier oils and putting only diet drinks on display.

Twenty of the 33 London boroughs have a much higher than average concentration of fast food outlets. The average for England is 77.9 outlets per 100,000 people, but 25 London boroughs are average or above, and 20 of those well above.

There are more than 8,000 takeaways in the capital overall — the equivalent of one for every 1,000 Londoners — many in deprived areas and near schools.

The “Takeaway Toolkit”, launched by Boris Johnson, shows councils how to help takeaways improve food quality. One suggestion is to cut down on saturated fats, salt and sugar in cooking and sell low-fat foods. The guide also urges councils to use planning and environmental laws to restrict the number and location of outlets.