NEWARK N.J. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter last week to Newark Mayor Cory Booker asking him to ban the construction of new fast-food restaurants in his city.
PETA said the request comes in the wake of a recent study that found people who live near fast-food restaurants are more likely to suffer from obesity and another that found the same people are more likely to suffer from strokes.
“Meat-heavy fast food is making Americans fat and raising the risk of heart disease, strokes diabetes and cancer,” said PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman. “We urge Mayor Booker to promote his own healthy diet, and a great way to start would be to toss out any new applications for fast-food restaurant licenses.”
The organization’s officials said they were hopeful that Booker, who is vegetarian, would go along with the idea.
Booker's office did not return requests for comment by press time.
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