New York City restaurants first to post sodium warnings

The symbol, a saltshaker in a black triangle, will be placed next to any food item on a menu that contains 2,300 milligrams or more of sodium, the equivalent of the daily recommended intake, according to the New York Times.

Starting December 1, 2015, New York City food service establishments with 15 or more locations nationally will have to mark dishes that contain 2,300 milligrams of sodium or more with this warning icon.

The rule passed unanimously in September and took effect Tuesday.

“When you see this warning label, you know that that item has more than the total amount of sodium that you should consume in a single day”, Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said.

This week, NY officially becomes the first USA city with salt warning on the menu of chain restaurants in efforts to fight stroke and heart disease. Other cities in the U.S. and around the world have followed New York’s lead. Restaurants that fail to comply with the new rules would face a $200 fine. The department also noted that a “well-established connection” exists between sodium consumption and high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

As consumers have so far proven, the disclosure of calorie counts on menu items have had little impact on their ordering habits and the salt shaker icon next to high-sodium menu items will likely yield the same result. The intake is even higher among Hispanics and blacks, said the city health department.

The average American consumes approximately 3,400 mg of sodium per day, well over the recommended daily allowance, with menu items from their favorite brands under the microscope.

Nevertheless, Americans rarely go by these recommendations and they eat a lot more salt than what is considered to be healthy.

A Chipotle loaded chicken burrito has 2,79g of salt, while Subway’s foot-long spicy Italian sub has 2.98g.

A McDonald’s hamburger has 490 mg of sodium, but upgrade to a double quarter pounder with cheese and that’s 1,310 mg.

New York City is the coordinator of 95 state and local health organizations which has come to be known as the National Salt Reduction Initiative.

Chances are good Mayor Bill de Blasio will be paying close attention to his heath department’s new warnings about sodium content, WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb reported.