CIVIC CENTER — A state Supreme Court judge upheld a new city rule requiring chain restaurants to post warnings on menus next to high sodium items, the Department of Health said Wednesday.
Starting March 1, restaurants will have to post a salt shaker symbol next to food with 2,300 milligrams or more of sodium, the total recommended daily limit. Fast food establishments must also post a warning statement near where customers place orders.
"If your meal has so much sodium that it merits a salt shaker on the menu, then — for the sake of your health — order something else,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement.
“Too many New Yorkers are at risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke due to high sodium intake, and this salt shaker will help New Yorkers make better decisions about their diet — ultimately leading to a healthier and quite possibly a longer life."
The judge's ruling, affirming the New York City Board of Health rule established last September, will effect chains with 15 or more locations nationwide.
A spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association, one of the groups that brought the suit to overturn the regulation, called the requirement “arbitrary, onerous and costly,” adding that the organization was exploring further legal options.
“The Association advocated for a national federal menu labeling standard to provide consumers with uniform nutritional information when dining out,” said spokeswoman Christin Fernandez in an email.
“The decision by the DoH to arbitrarily mandate warning labels for an essential nutrient, despite the fact that the information is available upon request under the federal guidelines is not only unnecessary, it undoes the very uniformity we worked for.”
