Letter to the Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 20, 2002

I take strong offense with the shortsighted opinion by Ellen Ruppel Shell ("Obesity disorders require scientific attention, not jokes," Crossroads, Dec. 8). Blaming the restaurant and food industries for obesity among some Americans is naive and simplistic and ignores the multiple factors related to this very complex issue.

Health experts agree that all foods can be part of a healthy diet. Government studies prove that food is not the sole culprit of the increasing rate of obesity. Encouraging regular exercise and nutrition education are initiatives supported not only by the restaurant industry, but also by Congress and President Bush.

Initiatives such as these should be at the heart of obesity prevention, not regulations on what Americans should or should not eat.

Seventy-six percent of all meals are eaten at home. Yet when Americans eat out, recent research shows that 95% of individuals feel they are qualified to make their own dietary choices; more than two out of three say they are tired of hearing from the "food police."

The restaurant industry is an industry of choice, and customers want options and flexibility in the foods they eat. The key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is through physical activity and balancing a variety of food choices - choices on the menus in restaurants everywhere.

Steven C. Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Restaurant Association
Washington, D.C.

Read this letter on the Post-Gazette's Web site or on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal's site, which also ran it.