State Action: Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles Advocacy Resources for the Restaurant Industry

Here are materials that can help you fight menu-labeling mandates or promote bills to prohibit obesity-related lawsuits against the restaurant industry. For more details contact the National Restaurant Association State Relations Department. Our thanks to the many state restaurant associations who have contributed materials to this resource list!

Model lawsuit legislation
Op-eds/letters to the editor
Talking points/position papers
Testimony
News articles
Other resources

Model lawsuit legislation

• Model bill -- text (doc)
• Model bill -- summary (doc)
• Comparison: Model bill versus Louisiana law (PDF)

Op-eds/letters to the editor

From National Restaurant Association:
• Op-ed by the New Mexico Restaurant Association for Albuquerque Journal, on obesity lawsuits (3/05)
• Letter to Wall Street Journal, on menu labeling (12/03)
• Letter to Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on balance, moderation and exercise (10/03)
• Letter to Fortune (4/03)
• Letter to Washington Post on obesity and restaurants (3/03)
• Letter to Washington Post, on "Portion Distortion" (1/03)

From state restaurant associations:
• Letter to Madison, WI, Capitol Times: "Bill to promote obesity lawsuits is laudable, not frivolous," (PDF) Wisconsin Restaurant Association (10/03)
• Letter to editor (PDF), Minnesota Restaurant Association, on restaurants and obesity (10/03)
• Letter to Raleigh, NC, News & Observer: "Caloric complexity" (doc), North Carolina Restaurant Association (2/04)

Pro-industry op-eds by others:
• USA Today editorial on the reinstatement of the McDonald's lawsuit (1/30/05)
• Investor's Business Daily editorial on the reinstatement of the McDonald's lawsuit (1/30/05)
Grant immunity to the fatty fries," Rocky Mountain News, on obesity lawsuits (1/24/03)

Talking points/position papers

• NRA talking points on:
- Nutrition and healthy lifestyles (PDF)
- Personal responsibility/frivolous lawsuits (PDF)
- Menu labeling (PDF)
- Market-driven solutions (PDF)
• Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington position paper on menu labeling (PDF) (10/03)
• Wisconsin Restaurant Association position paper on obesity (doc) (1/04)
• Wisconsin Restaurant Association overview of state frivolous-lawsuit bill (doc) (1/04)

Testimony

• Pennsylvania Restaurant Association testimony on obesity-lawsuit bill (doc) (4/05)
• Kansas Restaurant & Hospitality Association testimony on obesity-lawsuit bill: Senate and House (2/05)
• Colorado Restaurant Association testimony (PDF) on frivolous-lawsuit bill (1/04)
• Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington testimony (doc) on labeling bill (11/03)
• Wisconsin Restaurant Association testimony (PDF) on frivolous-lawsuit bill (12/03)

News articles

•'Cheeseburger' bills fill state lawmakers' plates, Stateline.org, 2/15
• Arkansas Hospitality Association (PDF) ("Restaurants not to blame for obesity epidemic," 1/04)
• Louisiana Restaurant Association (PDF) (Message from the executive vice president) (12/03)
• Mississippi Restaurant Association (PDF) ("MRA Weighs In to Help State Fight Obesity," 10/03)
• South Carolina Restaurant Association (PDF) ("The Skinny on Obesity -- Lawsuits and Legislation," 10/03)
• Washington Restaurant Association (PDF) ("WRA/DOH Promote Nutrition," 11/03)
• Washington Restaurant Association (PDF) ("Consider Menu Alternatives," 12/03)
• Wyoming Restaurant & Lodging Association (PDF) ("The Skinny on Obesity: Lawsuits and Legislation," Fall 2003)

Other resources

• "National P.E. Day" press release (doc) -- from the American Council for Fitness & Nutrition
• 3 Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle brochure -- download this NRA brochure and pass it out to your customers