PHA Recognizes National Restaurant Association for Taking Step Towards Improving Kids’ Menus
WASHINGTON, DC (July 13, 2011) – Lawrence A. Soler, CEO of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) – an organization focused on solving the nation’s childhood obesity crisis – today issued the following statement on the launch of the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Kids LiveWell program:
“With over 12.5 million American children and adolescents obese, it’s clear that we need the private sector to come forward and make changes to help solve the obesity crisis. The National Restaurant Association’s announcement today introducing healthier food options to our nation’s children is clearly a step in the right direction. Only by making healthier eating easier and more affordable will we be able to combat the obesity epidemic, and I hope that this commitment is the beginning of more to come.”
The NRA, in collaboration with Healthy Dining, today launched a voluntary program, Kids LiveWell, which will offer more nutritious menu items for children and provide nutritional content about such items. Restaurants who opt-in to the program will be required to offer one healthy children’s menu item at an affordable price.
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.