The National Restaurant Association announced its strong support for “The Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act” introduced by Congressman Ric Keller (R-FL) yesterday. The legislation is aimed at ending the recent trend of what the NRA calls “frivolous lawsuits blaming the food industry for the nation’s obesity problems.”

“This legislation is designed to prevent the food industry from being held solely to blame for the complex issue of obesity. With Judge Robert Sweet’s ruling last week in New York and Congressman Keller’s legislation this week, we are hopeful unscrupulous attorneys will be deterred from filing abusive, frivolous lawsuits that only enrich the trial bar at the expense of the restaurant operators and their employees, who are the hardest working Americans,” said president and chief executive officer of the National Restaurant Association, Steven C. Anderson.

“Congressman Keller is to be commended for his sponsorship of this important initiative. Experts agree that all food can be part of a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more about balancing energy in and energy out, not chastising some of America’s favorite foods. Restaurants should not and will not be blamed for issues of personal responsibility and freedom of choice. The nation’s 870,000 restaurants have long provided and will continue to offer a wide variety of choices and options that meet any individual’s dietary needs,” Anderson concluded.