Washington, D.C.–The National Restaurant Association released the following statement today to highlight how America’s restaurants celebrate “Food Day” every day.

“The restaurant industry provides nearly 13 million jobs nationwide,” said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “That means one out of every ten people working in our country today works in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Restaurants serve more than 130 million people every day in the U.S., supplying about one meal out of every four for Americans.  For us, every day is food day.”

Sweeney noted that recent Association research shows that guests are looking for more nutritionally balanced meals, and restaurants are meeting those needs.

“The National Restaurant Association recently launched ‘Kids LiveWell,’ a first-of-its-kind nationwide program that helps parents indentify healthful children’s menu options when dining out,” Sweeney said. “In addition, the restaurant industry has worked with the ‘Let’s Move’ campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation. The Association’s school foodservice members have pledged to double the amount of produce they serve in the next 10 years, and to increase nutrition education efforts for students and parents.

“These are just a few examples of the National Restaurant Association taking a proactive role in helping the industry address our nation’s healthy living challenges and providing more options for consumers. The National Restaurant Association is proud to serve as the voice of the restaurant industry, which celebrates food day, every single day.”

Click here to read how America’s restaurants are putting safe, wholesome and nutritious food at the center of the plate.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 960,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.