New Yorkers could be soon warned when ordering foods pose to diabetics in restaurants. Due to the various risks of carbs and sugar intake, Councilwoman Inez Barron mandates a requirement for the city to create a label that could warn diners about the food they're about to order in a restaurant.
The bill requires information signage in every food service establishment along with a poster that informs the risks of excessive sugar and other carbohydrate intakes for diabetic and prediabetic individuals. Violating the rules? A penalty of not more than $500 shall be liable. New York Health department is in the discussion to review the bills. Other statements on the bill including the poster design and the standard of carbs and sugar intake considered as excessive.
The Brooklyn Democrat said the poster can help people to make a decision as they're informed with calorie counts. Christopher Miller, spokesman for New York Health Department agreed on Barron's concern, stating it as admirable.
Her intention, however, received a grudge from the restaurant industry. Instead of being seen as public health improvement, restaurants find it as a misleading showcase that could scare people off. They insisted that food in the moderate portion is safe and balanced.
Barron said that a third of 700,000 New Yorkers do not know that they have diabetes. She adds, "We have an obligation to inform people." The proposal is a part of consumer education that warns us the hidden danger of a restaurant's meal.
The recommendation from American Heart Association suggests daily added sugar of not more than half of the daily calorie intake. Most American women should not take more than 100 calories whilst for men, not more than 150 calories daily. Many of the recommendations are made due to the significant consumption of added sugars in the country. The evidence shows the robust increase of overweight, diabetes, hypertension and obesity-related to the high level of sugar.
