Burgers and fries and fried hen are fashionable fast-food meals; in Prince George’s County, there’s an effort to encourage eating places to supply more healthy meals selections.

Burgers and fries and fried hen are fashionable fast-food meals; in Prince George’s County, there’s an effort to encourage eating places to supply more healthy meals selections.

The county council handed the Wholesome Restaurant Invoice on Tuesday in a 9-0-1 vote. It will present incentives to eating places, similar to zero-interest loans, for making their menus no less than 40% wholesome, together with one plant-based meal. The incentives would additionally embrace the county selling wholesome eating places throughout Restaurant Week.

“One of many primary killers in Prince George’s County actually isn’t gun violence, it’s meals,” Council vice chair Wala Blegay mentioned. “It’s what we eat. It’s coronary heart illnesses, diabetes. I’m pre-diabetic … lots of people are affected by varied illnesses, and we actually want to vary our consuming.”

Blegay mentioned the county has very restricted wholesome restaurant choices, and residents are demanding higher wholesome selections.

“So let’s give these enterprise house owners a little bit one thing to assist them give this selection to the group,” Blegay mentioned.

Regardless of the overwhelmingly favorable vote, the invoice handed with out the required funding to implement it. The measure is opposed by County Government Angela Alsobrooks.

“We consider the laws handed at present shouldn’t be the best option to handle these points and won’t lead to a rise in entry to wholesome meals,” mentioned Anthony McAuliffe, a spokesman for Alsobrooks.

Blegay mentioned the folks need wholesome restaurant selections, and she or he’ll preserve urgent the case.

“The group is overwhelmingly supportive. So now we simply have to get the funding,” mentioned Blegay, who estimated the funding value at $2 million.

Get breaking information and day by day headlines delivered to your e-mail inbox by signing up right here.

© 2023 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This web site shouldn’t be supposed for customers situated inside the European Financial Space.