Last updated on June 13th, 2024 at 05:13 pm
The New York City Department of Health will not delay the implementation date of a new sodium regulation set to take effect Dec. 1.
In a letter written earlier this month, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) asked the DOH to delay the start date for one year. The health department denied the request, saying it could not put off implementation of an “important rule that will help New Yorkers make healthier choices.”
The agency reiterated it would not issue fines for noncompliance until March 1, and said it plans to have its health inspectors educate restaurant non-compliant operators about the rule during that period. New York City Health Commissioner Mary Bassett added that her department would consider accommodating individual requests for modifications of the rule, such as granting more time to restaurants that need to solve problems unique to digital menus in order to comply.
The agency recently, and unanimously, passed the mandate, which requires brands operating 15 or more locations nationally to post warning icons next to standard menu items or combination meals that contains 2,300mg of sodium or more.
The restaurants must also post a message “conspicuously, at the point of purchase” to explain that the warning label indicates “the sodium (salt) content of the item is higher than the total daily recommended limit (2300mg),” and that “high sodium intake can increase blood pressure and risk of heart disease and stroke.”
