Fruit and veg at every Tube stop and a 'war on chicken shops' will help obesity crisis, says top GP

A top London doctor has called for fruit and vegetable stands outside every Underground station to help tackle the obesity crisis.

Professor Sir Sam Everington also said the capital needed to declare “a war on chicken shops” as he proposed mini-greengrocers at the 270 Tube stations.

The east London GP said the stalls would make healthy snacks available to people when they are “most vulnerable” to buying foods that are high in fat.

“My idea is to have fruit and veg stalls outside every single Tube station,” he told Tower Hamlets health and well-being board. “There needs to be a cheap, healthy alternative available at a time when people are most vulnerable to picking up something to eat.”

Sir Sam is chairman of the London Clinical Commissioning Council, which brings top medical representatives from each borough together to manage health initiatives with City Hall, Public Health England and local authorities.

He added: “We want to declare a war on chicken shops. They seem to be everywhere and appeal to children.” Nearly 40 per cent of children aged 10 and 11 in London are overweight or obese, according to City Hall figures, and adults have higher obesity rates than in New York, Sydney and Paris.

Transport for London does not manage all the pitches outside Tube stations and individual councils would probably have to grant licences for the stalls.

Next month adverts for junk food will be axed at stations and bus stops as part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to fight childhood obesity.

Sir Sam said officials needed to find innovative ways of teaching families about healthy eating.

“Last time I did my weekly shop there was a family with not a single piece of fruit in their basket,” he said. “It was chocolate drinks and crisps. And this stuff is expensive. We need to get over this idea that healthy food is more expensive than eating unhealthily. It’s not.”

The Healthy London Partnership, an NHS programme, backed Sir Sam’s plan. A spokesman said: “The evidence shows that Londoners support initiatives that can help them to make healthier food choices for themselves and their families.”