Letter to the editor, published in FORTUNE magazine, April 14, 2003

In response to FORTUNE's Feb. 3 cover story "Is Fat the Next Tobacco?" :


Attacking America's favorite foods and the restaurants that serve them is short-sighted and naive, and frivolous lawsuits will do nothing to help Americans who have problems with their weight.

Seventy-six percent of all meals are eaten at home. When Americans do eat out, recent research shows that 95% of individuals feel they are qualified to make their own dietary choices, and more than two out of three say they are tired of the "food police" telling them what to eat.

The keys to maintaining a healthy life-style are physical activity and balancing a variety of food choices. And those food choices are on the menu in our nation's 870,000 restaurants.

Steven C. Anderson, President and CEO National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C.