NCCR Supports "Commonsense Consumption Act"

Washington, DC, July 30, 2003 - The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) applauded Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today for introducing the "Commonsense Consumption Act of 2003," which aims to put an end to frivolous lawsuits against the food industry. Within the last year, several lawsuits have been filed against chain restaurants based on claims that the food served at these restaurants "caused" certain individuals to become overweight or obese.

"Senator McConnell's bill is a common sense solution to curb abuse of the legal system that has gotten wildly out of control," said Terrie Dort, NCCR President. "Lawsuits against restaurants based on spurious claims that the food served "caused" someone to become overweight or obese are patently absurd, and people of all political stripes and dispositions recognize that fact. The McConnell bill would put a stop to this kind of lawsuit, which no doubt would proliferate if left unchecked."

According to NCCR, obesity is a complex societal problem with many causes, not the least of which is the prevalence of increasingly sedentary lifestyles. "Food is only one part of what must be a multifaceted solution to the problem, and all foods can be part of a healthy, balanced diet," said Dort. "Our members offer a variety of healthy food options on their menus -- from salads, to yogurt, to grilled chicken. Increased physical activity must be another part of the solution, and we, and our members, support efforts to get people exercising, especially children," she continued.

"As the voice of the chain restaurant industry, our message has always been about choice, balance and moderation. It is not an answer to the problem of obesity to merely blame one type of food or one industry," Dort said.

The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), a division of the National Retail Federation (NRF), is a national trade association representing forty of the nation's largest multi-unit, multi-state chain restaurant companies. These forty companies own and operate more than 50,000 restaurant facilities. Additionally, through franchise and licensing agreements, another 70,000 facilities are operated under their trademarks. In the aggregate, NCCR's member companies and their franchisees employ more than 2.8 million Americans. For more information about NCCR, visit www.nccr.net. For more information about NRF, visit their web site at www.nrf.com