By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — First it was cigarettes, then sugary drinks and trans fats. Now, the city wants to limit the amount of salt in New Yorkers' diets.
The Health Department announced a new program to encourage restaurants and packaged food manufacturers to voluntarily reduce the amount of salt in their foods.
The department's guidelines suggest a maximum amount of salt that should be in foods with the goal of the plan to cut the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over five years.
“Consumers can always add salt to food, but they can’t take it out,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, said in a statement.
“At current levels, the salt in our diets poses health risks for people with normal blood pressure, and it’s even riskier for the 1.5 million New Yorkers with high blood pressure."
On average, New Yorkers eat twice as much salt as is recommended, the health department said. Instead, most people should aim to consume about 1,500 mg a day.
That extra salt could lead to high blood pressure and in turn heart attack or stroke. These conditions cause 23,000 deaths in New York City each year, the department said.
The department found that only 11 percent of the sodium content consumed by New Yorkers comes from saltshakers, with the vast majority added to food before it's sold to consumers.
Deli meats and canned soups can be major salt culprits, but New Yorkers also eat added salt in their morning muffins and other foods that don't necessarily taste salty.
