NYC’s chain restaurants will have to start putting special symbol on highly

New Yorkers will see warning labels beginning Tuesday on restaurant chain menus indicating foods that have at least 2,300 mg of sodium – about the daily recommended limit.

But Zane Tankel, CEO of Apple Metro, the NY metropolitan area franchisee for Applebee’s, took the new rule in stride. That’s about a teaspoon.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City begins a new era in nutritional warnings this week, when chain restaurants will have to start putting a special symbol on highly salty dishes.

The average American is thought to consume around 3.4g of salt per day and advocates have cheered the new policy in NY as a good way of making diners aware how much they are consuming. Health department officials insist the warnings are necessary because most New Yorkers consume too much salt, which can lead to hypertension, heart disease and strokes.

However, the restaurant industry has lashed back, accusing the city of zeroing in on only one ingredient.

The city is taking another step forward toward a healthier life by having this salt shaker sign that represents high-sodium meals.

New York City Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said the warnings are necessary since the public is largely unaware of the amount of salt that is in processed and prepared foods. One in three New York City deaths is due to heart disease, according to Health Department surveys.

A study carried out at the University of Minnesota found the mean sodium content in food served by the eight biggest United States restaurant chains rose 23 per cent between 1998 and 2010. This is for chain restaurants with more than 15 restaurants across the country, so perhaps other cities will follow suit. “Despite myriad efforts and initiatives to curb sodium consumption by public health and other organizations, the sodium content of fast food, in particular, appears to be on the rise”.

Today, almost one-third of the sodium consumed by Americans comes from restaurant food. If any of the restaurants or vendors who fall under this rule fail to display the warnings by the March deadline, the owners will be fined $200.

The Times says about 10 percent of menu items in those restaurants will need the warning symbol.