Salt Warnings Now Mandatory In NYC Chain Restaurants

Doctors are always warning us to curb our sodium intake. New York City's Department of Health just made that a whole lot easier.

The DOH voted on Wednesday to require chain restaurants to post a warning in the form of a saltshaker icon beside menu items that contain a recommended day's intake worth or more of sodium, according to the AP. The plan goes into effect on December 1. The FDA states that a day's worth of the stuff amounts to 2,300 milligrams, or about one teaspoon.

Salt and restaurant lobbies are rather, er, salty about the decision.

"This is another example of the government creating policy based on outdated, incorrect sodium guidelines," Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute, a trade association for salt producers, said in a statement.

The AP reports that "city officials say they're just saying 'know,' not 'no,' about foods high in a substance that experts say is too prevalent in most Americans' diets, raising the risk of high blood pressure and potentially heart attacks and strokes."

New York City has played around with a fair number of similar health-conscious measures recently, be it banning trans fats in restaurants, requiring calorie counters on menus or trying to enforce (albeit unsuccessfully) the infamous soda-size limit. Look on the bright side: The government is trying to look out for you. It appears we're not exactly in Parks and Recreation, literal child-sized cups land anymore.