Why There Oughta Be A Zoning Regulation!

This way they’ll be forced to purchase more nutritious alternatives at the “mom-and-pop” health food bodega down the block. Yes, that should fix everything:

A powerful city council member yesterday proposed overhauling the city’s zoning rules to limit the number of fast-food restaurants in neighborhoods where obesity is epidemic among youths.

The fat-busting plan also would bar McDonald’s, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts and the like from locating near schools, said council Health Committee Chairman Joel Rivera (D-Bronx).

Rivera dropped the frying-plan bombshell during a council hearing on obesity.

“We have to be as strong with obesity as with the cigarette campaign. More people die from obesity-related issues than smoking cigarettes,” said Rivera.

“We’re looking at the zoning resolution to limit the number of fast-food restaurants,” he added.

Rivera asked city Assistant Health Commissioner Lynn Silver, testifying before his committee, what she thought of his idea.

She said restrictive zoning seemed to be a “perfect example” of how government could help curb the fat epidemic.

Rivera said obesity is a supersized problem in a city where 21 percent of kindergarten students are already fat and 53 percent of adults are overweight.

“It’s one of the best ways to tackle the obesity issue,” Rivera told The Post. “In low-income areas, you find more fast-food restaurants. In more affluent areas, you find more mom-and-pop restaurants.”