New York City's salt warning on menus to take effect

Salty eats from salad to sandwiches at chain restaurants will display a new symbol on menus in New York City Tuesday.

The New York City Board of Health voted unanimously in September to be the first city to make sure chains put salt shaker symbols next to the food to highlight dishes with more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 mg of sodium. That's approximately one teaspoon.

The new standard applies to about 10% of menu items at the NYC outlets of chains, city Health Department Deputy Commissioner Sonya Angell told the AP in September. Those eateries amount to about one-third of the city's restaurant traffic, Angell added.

Rebecca Blake, senior director of clinical nutrition at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, says that consumers need information about how to lower sodium intake and where to find salt in diets outside of fast food as well.

"I think this is another important initiative along with the calorie labeling rule," Blake said in a statement. "We owe it to the consumers to explain what a chronically high sodium diet may lead to, especially in combination with obesity."

The average American takes in about 3,400 mg of salt daily and only about one in 10 in the U.S. meets the one teaspoon measurement, according to the AP.