Letter-to-the-Editor to the Honolulu Advertiser on political cartoon

March 17, 2004

Letters to the Editor
The Honolulu Advertiser
P.O. Box 3110
Honolulu, HI 96802

Dear Editor:

On behalf of the nation's 878,000 restaurants, I take strong offense to the recent cartoon which ran in the Honolulu Advertiser ("The Great Colossus," 3/15/04). The depiction unfairly characterizes restaurants by blaming the industry for causing obesity in some Americans and ignores the multi-faceted factors related to this very complex issue.

Seventy-six percent of meals are eaten at home, but when Americans do dine out, restaurants provide a wide variety of choices to accommodate any diet. And should consumers choose to further tailor their meals to fit their needs, they can customize menu items—a request that most restaurants welcome and encourage. In fact, 75 percent of consumers do customize their restaurant meals by asking for alternative preparation methods, off-the-menu orders and substitutions.

Moderation, balance and physical activity are the keys to living a healthy lifestyle. In the future, I hope the Honolulu Advertiser remembers that it is simplistic to blame food as the sole culprit for obesity among some Americans and that obesity is about the imbalance of calories in versus calories out.

Sincerely,



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