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New York health agency denies NRA request to delay sodium rule

The New York City Department of Health said it will not delay the implementation date of a new sodium regulation set to take effect Dec. 1

October 30, 2015

The New York City Department of Health said Wednesday it will not delay the implementation date of a new sodium regulation set to take effect Dec. 1, according to a press release from the National Restaurant Association.

In a letter written earlier this month, the NRA asked the agency to delay the start date for one year. The health department denied the request, citing 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 plans to have health inspectors educate restaurant non-compliant operators about the rule during that period, the release stated.

Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said 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 unanimously passed the mandate last month, which requires brands operating 15 or more locations nationally to post warning icons next to standard menu items or combination meals that contains 2,300 mg of sodium or more, the release stated. The restaurants must also post a message "conspicuously at the point of purchase" to explain the warning label indicates "the sodium (salt) content of the item is higher than the total daily recommended limit (2300 mg)," and that “high sodium intake can increase blood pressure and risk of heart disease and stroke."

For New York City restaurateurs, the mandate comes two years after the board of health attempted to limit the size of sugar-sweetened beverages in restaurants. The "beverage ban," as it came to be known, was overturned after a lawsuit by the NRA and other business groups. It also comes on the heels of the recent vote by a "fast-food wage board" appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to require quick serve restaurants to pay hourly employees a $15 minimum wage.