New York City to Require Salt Warnings on Restaurant Menus

NEW YORK (AP) — Salty fare from sandwiches to salads will soon come with a first-of-its-kind warning label at chain restaurants in New York City.

The city's Board of Health voted unanimously Wednesday to require chain eateries to put salt-shaker symbols on menus to denote dishes with more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium. That's about a teaspoon.

City health officials say they're just trying to provide information. Experts say salt is too prevalent in most Americans' diets, raising their risk of high blood pressure and potentially heart attacks and strokes.

Public health advocates applaud the proposal. Salt producers and restaurateurs call it a misguided step toward an onslaught of confusing warnings.

The measure furthers a series of novel nutritional efforts in the nation's biggest city.

(Story by: Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press)