Require Red Warning Labels for High-Sodium Restaurant Food
Enacted on Oct 26, 2026
Signed into Law
Local Law 2026/148
✦ Plain-Language Summary
Chain restaurants would have to put red triangle warning symbols next to menu items that contain 1,800 milligrams or more of sodium. The restaurants would also need to display a warning about the health risks of eating too much sodium where customers order food.
The story behind this bill
Why it was introduced
Sponsors said New Yorkers eat too much sodium without realizing it, raising risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. They argued existing warning icons on chain restaurant menus use unclear symbols that most people don't understand, so the bill would require plain, bold red-letter 'HIGH SODIUM' text warnings instead of just an icon.
At the hearings
Committee on Health · 2026-03-05
Held as part of a broader oversight hearing on childhood vaccines. The sponsor explained the bill, the Health Department raised concerns about the color red and wanted more talks, and several advocates and medical experts testified in support.
In support
- Council Member Feliz (sponsor): Chain restaurants hide dangerously high sodium (e.g., an 11,000mg pizza) behind icons too technical for people to understand.
- SNACC (food education nonprofit): Clear warning labels help families, especially youth, make informed choices at the point of purchase.
- American Heart Association: Supports sodium warnings but wants the trigger lowered to 1,500mg to match cardiovascular health science.
- Dr. Anne Curtis (cardiologist, American College of Cardiology): Labeling high-sodium items helps patients manage heart disease risk, aligning with new blood pressure guidelines.
Raised concerns
- DOHMH (Commissioner Alister Martin, Asst. Commissioner Bindy Crouch): Worried a red icon may be harder to see for people with low vision or red-green color blindness; wanted more discussion.
- Council Member Felder: Questioned whether outreach materials (like a related coloring book) would actually resonate with target communities.
City agencies: DOHMH said its goals align with the bill but raised concerns about using red (visibility/colorblindness) and said it was still evaluating details; agreed to keep meeting with the sponsor.
“Having a warning that people don't understand has the same effect as having no warning at all.”
“We do have some concerns around equitable access to a red icon, particularly with New Yorkers that have impaired vision or low vision.”
“Warning labels that are easy to understand restore transparency at the point when it matters most, the point of purchase.”
Show 1 more hearing
Committee on Health · 2026-09-10
Brief voting meeting. The chair described the amended bill's health rationale and thanked the sponsor; the committee then passed the amended bill by roll call with no discussion of opposition.
In support
- Chair Schulman: New Yorkers deserve clear, understandable information about sodium content to make health-conscious choices.
- Council Member De La Rosa: Congratulated the sponsor on the bill's passage.
“New Yorkers deserve clear and easily understandable information about what is in the food they eat.”
How it turned out
The bill was amended in committee (to Int. 196-C), passed the Health Committee 7-0 and the full Council 50-1 on September 10, 2026, and was sent to the Mayor. The Mayor returned it unsigned on October 13, 2026; under city rules it became law without signature when the City Charter Rule was adopted on October 10, 2026, and the official status is Enacted.
What changed along the way
- Raised the sodium trigger for a standard warning from 1,800mg back up to 2,300mg per serving.
- Added a new 'VERY HIGH SODIUM' warning for items with 6,000mg or more of sodium total.
- Dropped the requirement that the icon itself be red; required bold 'HIGH SODIUM'/'VERY HIGH SODIUM' text instead.
- Exempted multi-person items like family meals unless they exceed per-serving thresholds.
- Extended compliance timeline and set a lower, tiered civil penalty schedule ($0 warning, then $100, then $200) instead of a flat $1,000.
What the record doesn’t say
- The documents do not explain why the Mayor returned the bill unsigned rather than signing or vetoing it with stated objections.
- The record does not show whether DOHMH's visibility/colorblindness concerns about the red icon were ever resolved, beyond the bill dropping the red-icon requirement.
- The transcripts do not include any testimony clearly opposing the bill; it is unclear from the record whether organized opposition (e.g., restaurant industry) existed despite one speaker predicting lobbying against it.
Sources
- Committee Report 3/5/26
- Proposed Int. No. 196-A - Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council
- Memorandum in Support
- Hearing Transcript 3/5/26
- Proposed Int. No. 196-B Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council
- Committee Report 9/10/26
- Proposed Int. No. 196-C Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council
- Committee Report - Stated Meeting
- Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 9-10-26
- Hearing Transcript 9/10/26
Written by AI from official Council records. Votes and status come from the record; quotes are checked word for word against the official hearing transcripts.
Details
- Introduced
- Jan 29, 2026
- Passed Council
- Oct 10, 2026
- Enacted
- Oct 10, 2026
- Body
- Committee on Health
- Type
- Introduction
- Status
- Enacted
Sponsors (8)
Official Description
This bill would require the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to promulgate rules requiring food service establishments to display a triangular warning symbol with the words HIGH SODIUM displayed on the menu or menu board, or on a tag next to a food on display, adjacent to or directly below the triangular symbol for any menu item that contains 2,300 milligrams of sodium or more per serving. The bill would also require the promulgation of rules requiring food service establishments to display a very high sodium warning for menu items that contain 6,000 milligrams or more of sodium in total. This bill would also require factual warning statements about high sodium intake to be displayed at the point of purchase, on menus, and on menu boards. The bill creates a civil penalty scheme for violations, with the first violation receiving a warning, followed by $100 for a second violation and $200 for a third and subsequent violations. The bill requires DOHMH to conduct a public outreach campaign to inform food service establishments of the new menu labeling requirements.