New York City's high salt warning law went into effect on Tuesday, forcing chain restaurants there to point out their high-sodium dishes with a symbol – a little salt shaker inside a triangle.
The new requirement, passed in September, forces chains with 15 or more locations in New York City to display the warning symbol if the dish has more than 2,300 milligrams of salt, according to
Politico.
City health officials hope the warnings will help curb salt consumption among residents, said the
Wall Street Journal. New York City health commissioner Mary Bassett said she believe the warnings will be helpful for people dining out.
"We're talking about a leading cause of death here," Bassett said at a recent news conference.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, most of the sodium people take in on a regular basis comes from processed foods and at restaurants. The
CDC noted that excess sodium can cause a spike on blood pressure while increasing the risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the leading cause of death for Americans.
In a
statement, city health officials said they believe New York residents will respond to the warning labels.
"Evidence suggests that health warnings, like the proposed sodium warning, can increase knowledge and decrease purchase/consumption of certain products," they said. "More than one million New Yorkers see calorie labels daily. Nearly 80 percent of New Yorkers reported that they are useful."
The National Restaurant Association, though, announced plans to file a lawsuit, charging that the health department has gone beyond its authority in making restaurants post the warning labels, said Politico.
"While the Board of Health thinks they are targeting corporate chains, in reality they are dealing yet another blow to many of New York's small businesses that have been working and continue to work hard to provide nutritional access to their customers," said Christin Fernandez, spokesperson for the National Restaurant Association.
"That is why we are taking legal action against this latest assault which goes too far, too fast for New York’s restaurant community."
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