New York City High Salt Warning Goes Into Effect

New York City diners will now see little black triangles on restaurant menus to denote high-sodium dining choices. The New York City Board of Health requirement will impact food chains with 15 or more locations.

While some sodium is necessary, people can usually get enough salt from meat and other items in which sodium occurs naturally, Kramer explained.

Politico reported Monday that the National Restaurant Association plans to sue the Big Apple’s health department over the new law, arguing it hurts small businesses.

According to experts, most of people in America intake too much salt, which makes them more vulnerable to high blood pressure and heart problems.

According to the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”, published in 2010 by the USA departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, we’re supposed to be consuming less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.

Restaurants will be subject to $200 fines for mislabeling the salty foods, starting March 1.

The move mirrors decisions made by the administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg to ban trans fats, require menus to include calorie counts and limit the size of sugary sodas.

One chain, Panera Bread, said it cut the amount of salt in three of its menu items in NY, to avoid having to warn customers about the sodium content. That included the Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich, which the Center for Science in the Public Interest had listed in September among the fast-food menu items with more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium. The intake is even higher among Hispanics and blacks, said the city health department. However, not all NY restaurants will be participating. “Certainly the public has a right to know, and I am shocked sometimes when I find out that something like a hamburger can have all the salt you need for a day or more in it”, Zak Fisher says.

The industry says the new sodium rule is unnecessary in light of federal regulations that will take effect next year. As a valuable tool for the majority of New Yorkers who should be limiting their sodium consumption due to high risk for hypertension, heart disease and stroke, NYC chain restaurants will have to use this warning icon whenever those food items have at least 2,300mg of sodium.