United States Healthful Food Council Prepares to Kickoff 2013 EAT REAL Campaign in Washington, DC

The United States Healthful Food Council (USHFC) will be celebrating the launch of the Eat REALTM campaign in Washington, DC on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 with several of the areas top restaurants.  The Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL) certification program is an initiative launched by the USHFC to connect people who want to consume healthful and sustainable food and beverages with restaurants and foodservice operators that provide them. 

“For many individuals and families, eating out has become a way of life”, USHFC President Lawrence Williams.  “As businesses prepare a progressively larger share of the calories we consume, it becomes increasingly critical that we ensure that serving healthful and sustainable food is profitable.”

Utilizing a voluntary, points-based, market-drive approach similar to LEED®, REAL provides third-party verification of nutrition and environmental industry best practices.  The REAL Index was developed by an independent, national Panel of Experts with the objective of making REAL the nationally recognized mark of excellence for restaurants and foodservice operators committed to nutrition and sustainability.  

The REAL certification will begin rolling out in select locations across the United States, starting citywide in Washington, DC early next year.  “Washington is not only our nation’s capital, but it’s quickly becoming known for its culinary excellence and rapidly bourgeoning restaurant scene” according to Chris Stemp, USHFC Marketing Director.  “Unfortunately, Washington also has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity and other food-related disease, which is why we have focused on Washington, DC for our launch.” 

Consumers will soon have the ability to search for certified restaurants via the Eat REAL website and eventually through other popular restaurant reservation and review websites.  By helping diners make better-informed decisions, consumers will reap direct health benefits and will be better educated about what they are eating and where it came from. 

“The REAL Certification not only offers a huge advantage to consumers, but also benefits restaurants as well,” according to Williams. “The mission of the USHFC is to make serving healthful and sustainable food and beverages more profitable, and ultimately more affordable and accessible.”

For more information on Eat REAL and REAL certification, please visit www.ushfc.org.