New Yorkers will see warning labels beginning Tuesday on restaurant chain menus indicating foods that have at least 2,300 mg of sodium — about the daily recommended limit.
New York City is the first city in the country to place warning labels next to menu items that have high levels of sodium.
“These warnings are needed in restaurants because the majority of sodium in our diet is not coming from what we decide to add with the salt shaker at the table, it’s already in the food when we buy it,” said Dr. Mary Bassett, NYC Health Commissioner, at a press conference Monday morning.
Doctors warn that a high amount of salt in a diet increases blood pressure and the risk for heart attack and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in New York; about 610,000 Americans succumb to heart disease every year according to the Centers for Disease Control.
