McDonald’s has defeated councils’ attempts to stop it opening new branches by claiming the fast-food outlets promote healthier lifestyles, an investigation has revealed.

A report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) shows how the fast-food firm uses a ‘playbook’ of arguments, including that it sells salad and sponsors local children’s football teams.

Since 2020, McDonald’s has lodged 14 appeals with the Planning Inspectorate against councils’ decisions, and has so far won 11 and lost only one, with the other two ongoing.

In one case, the inspectorate upheld an appeal by McDonald’s after the firm argued that customers at a proposed new drive-through in Norwich would be able to order coffee, salad and meals containing fewer than 400 calories.

McDonald’s also insisted that a ‘notable amount of custom will be on foot or by cycle’, even though the proposed outlet was next to a busy ring road, and said its provision of a climbing frame would encourage ‘physical activity’.

Appealing Mansfield District Council's decision not to allow a new McDonald’s near three primary schools, the firm told the Planning Inspectorate: ‘Children are likely to visit the restaurant with a supervising adult who can support the child to make responsible food choices’. The appeal was upheld.

The director of public health in Gateshead and Newcastle, Alice Wiseman, said: ‘It’s very undermining in the role of local government in being able to shape a healthy environment.

‘We haven’t got the resources that the likes of McDonald’s have got to be able to get into any legal battles with this.’

McDonald’s told the BMJ: ‘We pride ourselves on being a positive presence in the communities within which we operate.

‘Local decision-making is a critical part of the planning application process and we always want to work in partnership with local councils to ensure our plans are right for the community.’