NEW YORK- Sugary foods and drinks from New York restaurant and cafe chains will have to include warning labels in a few months, according to a law that will go into effect later this year.
The rule requires food businesses with 15 or more locations to place a warning icon — a black-and-white illustration of a tablespoon of sugar — next to menu items that contain at least 50 grams of added sugar.
Businesses must also place the following written label next to the logo: “Warning: Indicates that the added sugar content in this product is greater than the total recommended daily limit of added sugar for a 2,000-calorie (50 g) diet.” “Consuming too many added sugars can contribute to type 2 diabetes and weight gain.”
The city’s health department released this proposed rule statement last week and scheduled a public hearing in late May. City officials and Democratic Mayor Eric Adams approved the law last year. The rule is scheduled to go into effect on June 19 for prepackaged foods and December 1 for other products.
“Health crisis”
When asked about the policy in an interview Thursday on radio station 1010 WINS, Adams said: “We have an obligation and responsibility as a city, not only to react to the health crisis, but to act proactively to prevent some of the health problems. “Sugar is one of the leading causes of health-related issues, problems and diseases.”
“I say over and over again in my personal health journey: Food is medicine,” said Adams, who claims to eat healthy and claims to be vegan, but has admitted to eating fish on occasion.
The rule is not a New York City mayor’s first foray into public health policy.
Ban on “trans” fats
Michael Bloomberg won a ban on artificial trans fats in restaurant chains and required them to publish the calorie count of foods on their menus. He also banned smoking inside restaurants and bars. Bill de Blasio, the mayor who served before Adams, pushed for a rule to notify customers about foods high in sodium.
Critics of such rules have long claimed that authorities aim to turn the city into a “nanny state.”
Source: AP
