Industry calls on policymakers to avoid misguided zoning proposals

The California Restaurant Association (CRA), representing 22,000 restaurants across the state, applauds the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for its approval of the Los Angeles CountyHealthy Design Ordinance that promotes exercise and increased access to fresh foods.

The organization also cautions policymakers to avoid punitive and impractical policies that would create excessive zoning regulations on Los Angeles restaurants. 

“Healthy living proposals that promote education, physical activity and increased consumer options should be embraced, while punitive restaurant zoning restrictions that undermine responsible consumer choice, eliminate jobs, and distract from real obesity solutions must be avoided,” said Jot Condie, president and CEO of the California Restaurant Association.

The ordinance passed yesterday by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors promotes wider sidewalks and bicycle parking, as well as facilitates the growth of community gardens and farmers markets. These changes will help contribute to more active lifestyles and increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables for local residents.

The CRA supports productive policy changes like these that promote healthy living. However, a recent proposal by the Community Health Councils (CHC) is an example of efforts to manipulate the land use process and place unprecedented restrictions on the restaurant industry.

This well-intended plan would create unintended consequences which would adversely affect consumers and communities in the LA region. The CRA called these zoning measures counterproductive, saying they would notaddress the obesity problem, but would certainly add to the unemployment problem.

“Implementing targeted and unfair restrictions on this industry sector will threaten jobs and will cause economic harm to already struggling communities,” said Condie. “Proposals to change zoning to keep certain types of restaurants out of communities set a bad precedent.  And it sends exactly the wrong kind of message to employers looking to invest or locate in the region.”  

According to a 30-year study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, there is no relationship between obesity and housing proximity to fast food restaurants. The study, published in September 2011, called for “a reevaluation of policy discussions on the anticipated impact of the food environment on weight gain.” Additionally, a 2009 report by the RAND Corp. found that the 2008 ban on fast-food chains in South Los Angeles was ineffective. Research released this month from Pennsylvania State further demonstrated that there is not one clear cause and one clear solution to obesity: “No matter how the researchers looked at the data, they could find no correlation at all between obesity and attending a school where sweets and salty snacks were available” (New York Times, January 23).

“Restaurants are working to be a part of the solution and many quickservice restaurants have altered their menus to provide nutritious alternatives as well as adjusted marketing efforts to kids to focus on the healthier offerings,” said Condie. “Eliminating one source of food products naively assumes that the obesity issue will be improved, in reality, singling out restaurants will simply distract communities from pursuing education, the real solution to the problem.”

CRAand its members are committed to continuing to make positive impacts in the Los Angeles community. According to the CRA, there are nearly 23,000 eating and drinking establishments in Los Angeles County region, representing 282,167 workers in L.A. County or 8.55 percent of the total private-sector workforce.

The restaurant industry has been promoting a variety of efforts to encourage healthy choice among consumers. Last year, the National Restaurant Association launched its Kids Live Well program in partnershipwith Healthy Dining to help parents and children select healthful menu options when dining out. Additionally, the industry is spreading awareness about menu labeling information, adjusting ingredients and providing new healthy choice menu offerings.