The National Restaurant Association plans to sue New York City’s health department to block a requirement that restaurant chains put warning symbols on their menus to alert customers to foods that contain high amounts of salt, reports Capital New York. The requirement takes effect today and applies to chains with at least 15 outlets in the city and foods that contain more than the recommended daily intake of sodium. Capital New York quotes a restaurant association official as saying the requirement “goes too far, too fast for New York’s restaurant community,” and would hurt small businesses.
“Health department officials insist the warnings are necessary because most New Yorkers consume too much salt, which can lead to hypertension, heart disease and stroke, and because most don’t realize where it is coming from,” said Capital New York. New York City is the first local government in the nation to require sodium warnings and the health department expects the warnings will apply to 10 percent of foods appearing on menus. There is no penalty to restaurants for serving salty food.