Amsterdam plans to open an unhealthy restaurant of its own, refuse it a permit and let a court rule on the refusal.
At the moment, the city cannot simply turn down a new eatery on health grounds.
How the test case would work
It will set up the restaurant with a knowledge institution, so a permit is needed.
The city will then reject its own application, arguing that the neighbourhood already has too much unhealthy food.
A judge must then decide whether health arguments can justify refusing a permit.
Food has become less healthy
Research by Amsterdam UMC published last week found that food on offer in Amsterdam has become much less healthy over the past decade.
The city sees this as a new reason to curb unhealthy eateries where fast food is already easy to find.
Health alderman Alexander Scholtes said in 2023 that he wanted to keep new fast food outlets out of the city.
He says health depends on personal choices and on what is nearby, but that the law gives the city no real way to act on it.
For more on how decisions like this are made, check out our guide to Amsterdam’s local politics.