New Yorkers who frequent fast food chains may soon notice a new addition to the menu come Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that all chain restaurants in New York City will now be required to put a salt shaker icon next to any food item that contains more than one teaspoon (approx. 2,300 milligrams) of salt. The number represents the average person's suggested daily sodium consumption.
The City is the first in the United States to implement such a ruling.
At a press conference held at an Applebee's branch in Times Square, City Health Commissioner Mary Basset explained the reasons behind the new ruling.
"When you see this warning label, you know that that item has more than the total amount of sodium that you should consume in a single day," she said.
Bassett said that cardiovascular disease is the "leading cause of death in the United States and in our city."
According to the law, any restaurant with more than 15 franchises across the country is subject to the new rules. Though the law comes into effect this week, the City Health Department will not start charging fines until March 1. After that date, any establishment in violation of the rule will be penalized $200.
The ruling has been met with opposition in some circles.
Lori Roman, President of the Salt Institute Trade Group, said, "The people of New York City should fight against an over-reaching government bureaucracy."
Additionally, a study, recently published in the Health Affairs Journal revealed that placing nutritional information on menus did little to help curb New Yorker's calorie counts.
"Menu labeling at fast-food chain restaurants, which the Affordable Care Act requires to be implemented nationwide in 2016, remains an unproven strategy for improving the nutritional quality of consumer food choices at the population level." Reads the abstract.
The city's Health Department disagreed with the findings, saying that the study's findings apply "only to a predominantly low-income high-minority population."
