Association announces eight popular national
outlets committing to Kids LiveWell program, adding 45,000 new
restaurants
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Restaurant
Association participated in the White House Conference on Hunger,
Nutrition and Health, highlighting the industry's commitment to
expanding its children's nutrition initiative, Kids LiveWell (KLW).
The announcement included the commitment of seven popular national
restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, Chipotle, First
Watch, Golden Corral, Silver Diner,
and Subway, to offer menu options nationally that meet the KLW
standards. In addition to these brands, Compass Group – a
foodservice support company – has committed to offer KLW meals and
sides to select clients including Bon Appetit Management Company,
Levy Restaurants, Restaurant Associations, and Wolfgang Puck
Catering Division.
The industry's commitment announced in collaboration with the
White House Conference includes:
- Expanding the reach of KLW by recruiting additional restaurant
chains
- Expanding KLW to foodservice outlets operating in museums,
cultural centers, and sporting arenas
- Committing to promote KLW to member restaurants, including the
launch of a KLW resources library that incorporates healthy recipe
swaps, a recipe book with pre-certified recipes and a toolkit for
State Restaurant Associations
- Developing a new healthy dining database for caregivers
featuring KLW-approved meals from participating restaurants
- Creating a nutrition education and training module for use in
skill development programs
- Creating a communications and education campaign to promote
healthier options on children's menus
"Restaurants are an extension of families' dining room tables.
The restaurant and foodservice industry is proud to partner with
parents and caregivers to provide choices that include
better-for-you options for kids," said Michelle Korsmo, President & CEO of the
National Restaurant Association. "Growing the Kids LiveWell program
furthers our investment in overall health and nutrition, and with
nearly 60,000 restaurants participating, parents have more options
in more places. We believe restaurants of all sizes find value in
participating in Kids LiveWell. We look forward to strengthening
the program through the commitments we've made during our
participation in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition
and Health."
The eight new participants join current KLW restaurants
Applebee's, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's, Denny's, Firebirds,
IHOP, Joe's Crab Shack, Outback Steakhouse, and Panda Express. The
additional brands add more than 45,000 participating restaurants to
the program, quadrupling the number of outlets and satisfying the
first pledge made for the White House conference.
KLW helps parents and children enjoy better-for-you meal options
when dining out. It was originally created by the National
Restaurant Association in 2011 as part of the industry's commitment
to providing a wider range of menu options for families. In
October 2021, the Association worked
with Food Directions, an independent nutrition company, to release
KLW 2.0, which brings the program up to date with current nutrition
science, including the latest USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans.
Restaurants that participate in the voluntary program commit to
offering healthful menu items for children with a focus on
increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins,
and low-fat dairy while limiting unhealthy fats, added sugars, and
sodium. Every restaurant is required to have two meals and two
sides that meet the KLW criteria and a default kind's menu beverage
policy that includes only water, low-fat or non-fat milk, 100%
fruit or vegetable juice.
"We are proud to be a part of this historic conference that
brings industry and government together to discuss the future of
food policy to help solve hunger and nutrition challenges in our
nation," said Sean Kennedy,
Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the National
Restaurant Association. "The commitments we've made will positively
impact communities across the country by making it easier for
consumers to meet their family's lifestyle and appetites when
dining out."
The 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health
is the first of its kind in more than 50 years. The conference
focused on ways to end hunger and increase healthy eating and
physical activity by 2030, so that fewer Americans experience
diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.
Learn more about Kids LiveWell here and restaurants wanting to
find out how to join KLW will find the information they need
here.
About the National Restaurant
Association
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the
leading business association for the restaurant industry, which
comprises nearly 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a
workforce of 14.5 million employees. Together with 52 State
Associations, we are a network of professional organizations
dedicated to serving every restaurant through advocacy, education,
and food safety. We sponsor the industry's largest trade show
(National Restaurant Association Show); leading food safety
training and certification program (ServSafe); unique
career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart). For
more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us
on
Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.
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SOURCE National Restaurant Association