Camden replaces Bury as area of England with most fast food shops per population

Camden in north London has replaced Bury in Greater Manchester as the area of England with the most fast food outlets per population, new analysis suggests.

Blackpool, Manchester and Tower Hamlets in London all remain near the top of the list, but Hartlepool and Darlington have dropped out of the top 10.

Almost every local authority area in England has seen the number of fast food shops per population either grow or stay broadly similar over recent years – an outcome health organisations described as “infuriating”.

Only a handful of areas have seen a decline – while Wokingham in Berkshire has retained its status as the area with the fewest outlets per population.

The findings have been published by the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID) and cover a range of shops selling foods including, but not limited to, burgers, pizza, kebabs, chicken, Indian takeaways, Chinese takeaways, and fish & chips.

Fast food is defined as meals that are “energy dense and available quickly, usually via a counter service, and for consumption on or off the premises.”

The figures show that in 2024, Camden had an estimated 417 fast food outlets per 100,000 population, up sharply from 205 per 100,000 in 2017, when the data was last compiled.

Westminster, another London borough, ranked second with 248 per 100,000, followed by Blackpool (226), Southwark in London (205) and Manchester (183).

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “Camden is a world-famous tourist hotspot and we know many visitors will grab food on the go either before or after gigs, theatre and night time events, or before they get their train home after a day out in London.

“We support our residents to access healthy food and to follow a balanced diet, and there’s lots of community food projects and food growing initiatives in Camden helping with this.”

PA news agency analysis of the OHID data shows Bury topped the list in 2017 with 256 outlets per 100,000 population, but dropped to 166 in 2024, ranking it in 10th place.

Hackney in London ranked 58th in 2017 with 107 outlets per 100,000, but in 2024 had climbed to ninth place, with 166 per 100,000.

Also entering the top 10 is Liverpool, up from 20th in 2017 to seventh in 2024, with 175 per 100,000.

Heading in the other direction is Hartlepool, down steeply from fourth to 37th (138 per 100,000), and Darlington, dropping from fifth to 25th (145 per 100,000).

Katharine Jenner, director of Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), said big fast food companies were “eroding healthy eating opportunities”.

She said: “The findings are infuriating – almost every local authority has seen the number of unhealthy food outlets per population either grow or remain largely unchanged in recent years.

“This is happening at a time when the food industry should be making healthy food more appealing and affordable, not actively working against it.

“Evidence-based measures incentivising companies to promote, advertise, and sell healthier food are supported by the public. We deserve better, and we can’t let the food industry continue to profit off our poor health. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

The analysis also shows that fast food outlets per population in the most deprived areas of England are double the level in the least deprived areas, at 147 per 100,000 compared with 73 per 100,000.

“On average, the local authorities with a higher deprivation score, which include several large city authorities, have a higher number of fast food outlets per 100,000 population,” the OHID said.

“Prevalence of obesity in England increases with increasing levels of deprivation and fruit and vegetable consumption decreases with increasing levels of deprivation.”

Across England as a whole, there were 116 fast food outlets per 100,000 population in 2024, up from 98 per 100,000 in 2017.

The OHID said it had produced the figures to assess the exposure of residents to fast food outlets in their local authority area.

Local authorities have responsibility for neighbourhood planning and licencing of food premises, as well as responsibility for public health for their resident population.

Some local authorities with larger numbers of fast food outlets per 100,000 resident population may be areas with a large non-resident workplace or visitor populations, the OHID notes.

In addition, some people are likely to travel in person to neighbouring areas to visit fast food outlets.

As such, data showing the fast food outlets located in an area may underestimate the exposure to fast food for local residents.

Dr Jordan Beaumont, lecturer in food and nutrition at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The new OHID data shows a concerning increase in the presence of fast food in our food environment.

“We know that exposure to fast food outlets increases the likelihood of consuming fast foods – those most exposed to fast food outlets are around 50% more likely to consume fast foods – but the relationship is complex.

“What is of particularly concern is the prevalence and density of fast food outlets is closely linked with level of deprivation, where areas experiencing higher levels of poverty – such as Camden and Bury – often have a higher number of fast food outlets.”

Dr Beaumont said attempts to limit exposure to fast foods, such as through school exclusion zones were having a positive impact on health of local communities, but there were added complexities due to outlets operating through the “virtual food environment”, such as through third-party online food delivery platforms and mobile applications.

Wokingham in Berkshire had just 39 fast food shops per 100,000 population in 2024, OHID data suggests.

This is the lowest figure for any local authority in England and only slightly up on 37 per 100,000 in 2017.

The next lowest authority is Bracknell Forest, also in Berkshire, at 63 per 100,000, followed by Richmond-upon-Thames in London (65), Herefordshire (69) and Merton in south London (75).