Salt Warning Labels Required in NYC Restaurants
New York City began a new era of nutritional warnings Tuesday. Chain restaurants will have to start putting a special warning symbol on menus of highly salty dishes.
The symbol, which looks like a salt shaker, will appear alongside any selection that includes more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams, or about a teaspoon of salt.
The average American consumes about 3,400 mg of salt per day, and public health advocates have cheered the measure as a smart step to make diners aware of how much sodium they're ordering.
Meanwhile, the warning rule faces a court challenge from restaurant groups and salt producers. They say the city is going overboard.
"The people of New York City should fight against an over-reaching government bureaucracy that's acting on misimpressions about the risks of salt," Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute trade group, said.
But Health Department officials said they have authority to require the warnings and believe the public health benefits outweigh any burdens to restaurant owners.
The salt warning will apply to an estimated 10 percent of menu items of chains with at least 15 outlets nationwide, according to the Health Department. Officials say those chains do about one-third of the city's restaurant business.
