They say ignorance is bliss. But that just went out the window for hungry New Yorkers. Starting Dec. 1, New York City chain restaurants will have to post an icon next to food items that contain more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium.
The black salt icon will appear next to items listed on the menu and at the checkout counter. Restaurants with 15 or more locations nationwide will be mandated to warn customers that items with the black icon may pose a health risk as they exceed the daily recommended total intake of sodium. (Video via WNBC)
"Along with clearly being linked to raising blood pressure, we now have credible information that it can directly damage inner lining of the blood vessel — to damage the kidney, to damage the small vessels of the eye, to damage the small vessels of the brain," Dr. Howard Weintraub said. (Video via WCBS)
The New York City Board of Health passed this requirement back in September, and so far it's the only one to mandate a sodium listing. But New York City has long been a pioneer in dietary restrictions.
It also banned trans fats from restaurants and began forcing chains to post calorie counts on menus back in 2008. That last move was quickly mimicked. Now, the FDA requires restaurants nationwide with 20 or more locations to display calorie counts on their menus. (Video via Panera Bread)
But recent studies suggest those little numbers displayed next to your favorite meal don't necessarily deter you from ordering what you like, regardless of calorie count.
For instance, a 2012 study published in The American Journal of Public Health found that people bought more high-calorie items after calorie labeling was introduced. (Video via Chick-fil-A)
A separate study tracked New Yorkers' eating habits specifically. After menus in the city started listing calorie counts, customers eventually became accustomed to seeing them and started ignoring them altogether.
So if the whole motivation behind this new sodium warning label is to change people's eating habits and improve health, New York City might strike out. Again.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
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