The number of takeaways in Brighton and Hove has soared and is among the highest in the country, according to new figures from the government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).
In part, the figures are believed to reflect the local economy’s reliance on tourism and the presence of tens of thousands of students.
The new figures suggest that last year Brighton and Hove had 140.2 fast food outlets per 100,000 population – or almost 400.
This was up more than 10 per cent on the figure of 126.7 per 100,000 in 2017 when the research was last carried out.
It was also markedly higher than the national average for England where, the OHID analysis indicates, there were 116 fast food outlets per 100,000 population in 2024, up from 98 in 2017.
Out of 151 “top tier” council areas, Brighton and Hove ranked 31st while East Sussex was 134th and West Sussex was 129th.
The number of fast food outlets in East Sussex was 84.4 for every 100,000 people in 2024, up from 98 in 2017.
In West Sussex, the figure was 86.3, compared with 76.7 in 2017.
The findings covered a range of outlets including places that sold burgers, pizzas, kebabs and chicken as well as Indian and Chinese takeaways and fish and chip shops.
The OHID research found that there were roughly double the number of fast food outlets in the most deprived areas than there were in the wealthiest parts of the country – 147 per 100,000 compared with 73.
Poorer areas also tended to record higher levels of obesity and less consumption of fruit and vegetables.
But the OHID noted that some areas with a higher numbers of fast food outlets may be areas where people travelled in for work or which had comparatively high visitor numbers.
A report to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board this week said: “(The) covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on children and young people.
“This has included an increase in childhood obesity, diabetes, stress and anxiety, eating disorders and much more.”
The report said: “We continue to buck the national trend on childhood obesity with 28.8 per cent of year 6 children overweight or obese compared with 35.8 per cent for England.
“Those living in more deprived areas of the city are at higher risk of being an unhealthy weight, with up to two thirds of 11-year-olds being overweight or obese in some schools.”
The Health and Wellbeing Board also heard from the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership which presented the Brighton and Hove Food Strategy Action Plan 2025-30, updating the previous version.
The Food Partnership said: “The past five years have been turbulent, to say the least. The withdrawal from the EU, the covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have meant big shocks to our food system which is increasingly susceptible to climate change.
“The food system has also seen more focus and scrutiny, with the publication of the government-commissioned National Food Strategy, led by Henry Dimbleby.
“In Brighton and Hove … while life expectancy has been steady, people are now living longer in poor health.
“Only 38 per cent of adults in the city consume five or more portions or fruit and vegetables per day and one in three 11-year-olds are obese or overweight – up to two out of three in some schools.
“Obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer.
“Food that’s high in fat, salt and sugar is often more readily available and cheaper than healthier options and eating this kind of food regularly can cause obesity and other health problems.
“Parts of Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Woodingdean, Whitehawk, Kemp Town, Queen’s Park and Hangleton are in the top 20 per cent of places in England with food desert characteristics.
“(These are) a mixture of low incomes, poor access to transport and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices.
“Sadly, food poverty has soared since the last action plan was published, exacerbated by the ‘cost of living crisis’.
“The 358 food parcels issued per week in 2018 seems tiny compared with 6,300 people reliant on emergency food provision each week in 2024.
One in four children in the city (12,876) are living in poverty after household costs compared with an average of one in three across England.
“A higher percentage of our residents aged over 60 are living in income deprivation (17.8 per cent) compared with the England average (14 per cent).”
