A recently rule issued for restaurants that will require them to mention warnings regarding foods that are high on salt. The latest buzz is that The National Restaurant Association has sued New York City over this rule. It is a Washington-based group and represents more than 500,000 businesses. The suit was filed on Thursday in state court in Manhattan. The rule was declared in the pursuit of protecting public health by trying to change people’s eating habits. The National Restaurant Association is trying to stop the rule from being implemented. According to them, the Board of Health is overstepping its authority and is acting completely unreasonable with this new rule.
New York City Rule to Continue Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Efforts
Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration crafted this new rule. As per the rule, all the restaurants that have 15 or more locations nationwide have to highlight menu items that have at least 2300 milligrams of sodium. Now when you compare the statistics, 2300 milligrams is a teaspoon full of salt or in other words, the daily recommended limit for adults. All the items that fall in this criterion will be required to be labeled with a warning sign that is a shaker inside a triangle.
The rule continues the efforts that were initiated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Previously, New York City has taken steps like banning trans fats, ordering menus to include the calorie count of dishes and also limiting the size of sugary sodas. Limiting of sugary sodas was eventually blocked by the State’s highest court as it was also considered overstepping of authority. Though, the trans fats ban and the calorie counts stood up to the challenges places in the court.
Board Overstepping its Authority as per the National Restaurant Association
Nick Paolucci, who is a spokesman for the Law Department said that the Board of Health is confident that it has the authority to enact this rule. He also said that the city hasn’t been served with the suit. It could not be independently verified in court records too. But as per the restaurant group, The National Restaurant Association, the imposition of rule will violate the First Amendment by forcing the members to voice an opinion, whether or not they agree to it. The opinion is just pre-empted by Federal Law, said Preston Ricardo, an attorney representing the restaurant group. “Once again we have an example of renegade regulating by the Board of Health in their effort to be trailblazers and grab headlines,” said Preston Ricardo.
Long battle but New York City might Win
As per Jennifer Pomeranz, clinical assistant professor at New York University’s College of Global Public Health, New York City might win this battle as the government has complete authority to demand factual information from commercial companies who sell their products. “We have a plethora of warning labels on things, everything from toxic substances to tobacco, and now we’re moving towards having warning labels on foods. The argument that the board overstepped its authority might prove stronger, but the trade group still will probably lose”, said Jennifer Pomeranz.
No matter what the outcome of the suit would be, one can surely expect that it will definitely inspire other municipalities to address sodium levels in restaurant food.
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