DETROIT, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Medical activists say Detroit, with the fourth-highest heart disease rate in the nation, should impose a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, based in Washington, urged Mayor Dave Bing to ban the opening of new fast-food establishments, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.
"We decided to take on fast-food in general because the quality of most menu items is rather poor," Susan Levin, the group's director of nutrition, said. "The whole country is suffering from these kinds of statistics."
Bing spokesman Dan Lijana said the mayor "supports initiatives to ensure Detroiters are living healthy lifestyles," but is reluctant to hamper development in a city that needs the economic boost from new businesses, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A mayoral spokeswoman said the Health Department is educating residents "so they can make informed decisions."
"We certainly respect (the physicians') position, but we think our efforts as well as theirs will be best served in educating consumers to make healthier food choices," Karen Dumas said.
