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This study assesses the levels of fats, including trans-fatty acids, and salt in common takeaway fast foods in a deprived urban municipality in the West Midlands, England, and implications in the context of the spatial distribution of fast food takeaways. The results of the compositional analysis of over 250 take-out foods were compared with established and derived standards. About 70 % of products exceeded the recommendation that a meal should contain less than 30 % of a Guideline Daily Amount (GDA). More than half of them exceeded 50 % GDA for at least one metric, including 81 % of all analyses for SFA. And 17 % of samples exceeded the GDA for SFA, including each of two meals that contained about twice the GDA. Over 30 % samples exceeded the children's GDA for total fat or SFA. 27 % of salt analyses exceeded the GDA. People in Sandwell are exposed to large portion sizes and high levels of fats and salt in takeaway foods, with levels in some foods having increased since 2010. Given this population's limited options to break out of a highly compromising environment of living simultaneously in a 'swamp' of unhealthy, readily accessible and cheap takeaways, and a 'desert' of healthy options, an immediate and innovative package of interventions is required.Key words: Obesity: Takeaways: Trans-fatty acids: Portion size: Inequity Dietary related diseases are a major cause of morbidity and premature mortality in Sandwell, one of the most deprived populations in England (1) . An estimated 28·7 % of the adult population is obese, significantly higher than both the average for England (24·1 %) and the level reported in local authorities of a similar economic structure (24·1 %) (2) . About 40 % of year 6 children were obese or overweight in 2012 (3)

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