Weight Loss Expert to Testify in Congress on the Role of Personal Responsibility in America's Obesity Debate.
Political Writers/Health/Medical Writers
DURHAM, N.C. & WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2003
Expert Testimony Strives to Protect the Food Industry from Future
Abusive Litigation
Dr. Gerard Musante, nationally renowned obesity expert and founder of Durham, N.C.'s Structure House weight loss facility, has spent more than 30 years fighting America's obesity epidemic by teaching a behavioral approach to weight loss that focuses on personal responsibility. After decades of teaching this philosophy to his program participants, Dr. Musante has been asked to serve as an expert witness for the Commonsense Consumption Act of 2003, introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Dr. Musante's testimony stressing the importance of personal responsibility for food consumption will be made before the United States Senate on Thursday, October 16, 2003.
If passed, the Commonsense Consumption Act will prohibit any legal claims based on alleged injury related to obesity or weight gain, in state or federal court, against a food manufacturer, marketer, seller, distributor or advertiser. The bill does not provide legal immunity for the food industry. It only provides protection from abusive suits by individuals trying to blame these industries for obesity and weight-gain related health conditions.
Dr. Musante's testimony will be heard in the first session of the 108th Congress by the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts. The hearing will be held in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building at 2:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
"Lawsuits threaten to bring forth a new wave of litigation against the food industry, blaming food marketers and fast food chains for our nation's obesity epidemic," explains Dr. Musante. "Americans should stop blaming others and should instead take responsibility for their own food choices. The Commonsense Consumption Act encourages Americans to assume responsibility for their food choices, and will prohibit frivolous lawsuits against industries that are merely providing goods and services demanded by American consumers."
America's obesity epidemic is a national threat - approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese, and 9 million are severely obese. America's obesity rates are increasingly alarming, and there is no simple solution. According to results from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), more than 64% of US adults are either overweight or obese.
