February 26, 2007
Contact: Annika Stensson (202) 973-3677, Chrissy Shott 202-331-5902

(Washington, DC) The National Restaurant Association today issued the following statement in response to the Center for Science in the Public Interest's (CSPI) "X-treme Eating" report:

"The nation's 935,000 restaurant-and-foodservice outlets provide a wide variety of venues and countless menu options to fit anyone's dietary needs and preferences. Pointing to a select few menu items at a select few restaurants as being high in calories and generalizing that to all restaurant fare is misleading, inaccurate, and does the public a grave disservice.

"Virtually all restaurants provide healthful options, and many items can be customized to reduce calories and/or fat content. In addition, many national chain restaurants already provide nutrition information in ways that have proven to be most effective for that restaurant and their patrons.

"Americans enjoy restaurant meals for a variety of reasons – for convenience, as a social activity, to celebrate special occasions, etc. – and they are free to choose what to eat, whether being mindful of calorie and fat intake, or indulging themselves with their favorite dishes. Our research shows that 95 percent of survey respondents feel they are qualified to make their own dietary choices, and more than two out of three (68 percent) say they are tired of the 'food police' telling them what to eat.

"In addition, seventy percent of restaurant patrons customize their food orders, thereby varying nutritional content greatly. Posting caloric and other nutritional information on menus and menu boards would make those menus extremely cluttered, confusing and simply not helpful to those who want to make smart choices when dining out."