New York City using salt warning to fight against heart disease, stroke

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.

It also banned trans fats from restaurants and began forcing chains to post calorie counts on menus back in 2008.

Zane Tankel, CEO of Apple-Metro, owner of Applebee’s restaurants in New York City, says his company is on board. The move has been taken as federal regulators, health advocates and some in the food industry are trying to make people in America cut down on salt.

New York City’s salt warning is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. For those 51 and older, for African-Americans and those with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, the recommendation is no more than 1,500 mg per day.

A tiny salt shaker will warn you if the meal you are eating is high in sodium on menus in chain restaurants in New York City. Any item with a salt shaker icon beside it contains at least 2,300 milligrams of sodium-about a teaspoon, and the equivalent of the daily recommended dose. Schlotzsky’s medium-sized Turkey Original-Style sandwich has 2,630 mg of salt, TGI Friday’s sesame jack chicken strips have 2,700 mg and Red Robin’s Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake contains 3,399 mg of sodium. Restaurants will have until March 1 to comply.

The National Restaurant Association has said that they plan on taking legal action against the city for the new requirement, calling it an “overly onerous and costly burden” on the city’s chain restaurants. But the health department cited a 2010 that found typical NY diets include 3,200 mg of sodium on average per day.

Deputy health commissioner Sonia Angell – who is also a physician – says many people don’t understand the link between excessive sodium intake, high blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Among these are required calorie counts, city-banned smoking, and limits on sugary drinks, the World Street Journal said.

“The majority of salt in our diet doesn’t come from the salt shaker – it’s already in the food when we purchase it”, Angell says.

“Every one of these cumbersome new laws makes it tougher and tougher for restaurants to find success”, New York State Restaurant Association President Melissa Fleischut said when the amendment was passed. As a result, the study’s authors said labeling could have “important effects on the food served in restaurants”. New York City officials hope that the rule will spur other cities to adopt similar guidelines for restaurants.