According to the New York City Board of Health the rule will apply to combo items, such as an order-by-number meal that might include a soup and a sandwich or a burger and french fries.
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New York City diners will now see little black triangles on restaurant menus to denote high-sodium dining choices.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer in New York City, causing 17,000 deaths in 2013. The African-American and Hispanic communities of New York City suffer disproportionately from the preventable heart diseases and strokes associated with excess sodium in the diet. Now the National Restaurant Association says it’s planning to sue to block the sodium rule, which goes into effect Tuesday. “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. The department won’t start issuing violations until 1 March, when eateries will be subject to a $200 fine if they don’t comply. “A well-established connection” is noted by the health department between sodium consumption and high blood pressure, which is a primary risk factor for heart disease and stroke. His predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, was known for his attempts to limit unhealthy habits of New Yorkers. Current Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to continue those efforts.
“We’re talking about a leading cause of death here”, she argued at a news conference held on Monday.
It isn’t clear that the new sodium warning will get people to change their eating habits. They plan to file a lawsuit against New York City’s health department claiming this requirement harms many of New York’s small businesses that have been working hard to provide nutritional access to their customers, and not to corporate chains -like the Board of Health thinks.
How much sodium is in some fast food favorites? This is equal to about one teaspoon of salt and the daily limit recommended by many nutritionists.
The new rule has already spurred restaurants to lower the sodium in their offerings.
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In an article in Capital New York, NRA spokeswoman Christin Fernandez said the board “is dealing yet another blow” to numerous city’s locally owned restaurants. Additionally, they said the costs associated, including reprinting menus, could be a financial burden for the restaurant owners.
