Healthy Weight Declaration 

Food Active’s Healthy Weight Declaration presents the opportunity for local authorities at a strategic/senior level to lead local action and demonstrate good practice in adopting a systems approach to addressing overweight and obesity and promoting the health and well-being of communities. The declaration supports organisations such as councils and wider partners to consider their role in helping to shape environments that make healthy food and physical activity more accessible, for everyone. 

A key component of the Declaration is the development of planning guidance as a way to support healthier food environments; the following case study demonstrates how local planning authorities might reduce the prevalence of hot food takeaways in certain areas, using supplementary planning guidance. 

 The following paper describes how the county council and districts working together might utilise a declaration to promote healthy weight across its policies, functions and services to build a healthier environment for their local population.