A committee of MPs today recommended that local councils should limitthe number of fast food outlets to help dispel health inequalities inBritain.
The government was warned that it must improve its health policyevaluation or risk wasting public money, in a report by the Commonshealth select committee.
The committee also warned that money was being spent on government initiatives that might not work.
And it criticised ministers for "insufficient thought" and "a lack of clear objectives" when creating health policy.
The report on health inequalities also warned that lessons had not beenlearnt from previous "ill-thought out" initiatives such as HealthAction Zones.
Health inequalities between the social classes have widened by elevenper cent among women and four per cent in the last ten years, thereport found.
And it criticised the government’s flagship health centres for being allocated "at random" without thought for "access or need".
In response, the committee recommended that the government shouldintroduce statutory food labelling systems and encourage more walkingand cycling schemes to improve health.
The group of MPs also suggested that tougher targets should be reintroduced to combat tobacco smuggling.
And GPs should be rewarded for reducing the number of identified smokers on their books.
Chairman of the health committee Kevin Barron warned that there was "noquick or easy solution" to tackling health inequalities.
He said: "But, while our committee commends the government on itscommitment to reducing the health gap, we were shocked by the lack ofmeaningful evidence and evaluation available on this subject.
"How can those involved in addressing health inequalities know forcertain what works when proper evaluation has not taken place?
"And without proper evaluation, the government’s ability to formulate evidence-based policy is impossible."
Barron continued: "The taxpayer must be reassured that money invested in policy initiatives is making a difference.
"At the moment, in relation to health inequalities, we cannot say withcertainty that this is the case. Far more must be done to ensure moneyinjected into implementing these policies is tracked and policy designmust be sufficiently improved so that effective and accurate evaluationcan take place, so that policy-making is based on sound evidence."
