~100 Doctors Urge NYS Leg to Mandate Sodium and Sugar Warning Labels at Chain Restaurants Statewide

In a letter to lawmakers, doctors urge Gov. Hochul to sign the Sodium Warning Bill into law and call on Legislature to pass the complementary Sweet Truth Act, which would extend critical menu warning protections to families statewide

ALBANY, NY (06/02/2026) (readMedia)-- Today, nearly 100 doctors across New York State sent a letter to Albany lawmakers urging the Legislature to pass the Sweet Truth Act (S427A/A5305A) before the end of session and calling on Governor Hochul to sign the Sodium Warning Bill (S428A/A5207A) into law. Sponsored by Senate Health Committee Chair Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Karines Reyes, the legislative package aims to strengthen menu transparency at restaurants statewide and help consumers make informed choices that protect their health. The Sweet Truth Act awaits action in the Senate Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee, and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, while the Sodium Warning Bill awaits Hochul's final signature.

Read the full letter here and view the list of signatories below.

Each year, New Yorkers spend upwards of $40 million on healthcare for diabetes and hypertension. Around the state, about 4.9 million adults - nearly a third - have hypertension and within communities of color, rates of pediatric diabetes continue to climb. Former New York State and New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett has also endorsed both bills as part of a larger food reform package to close existing health disparities.

In the letter, signatories write: "In our practices, we see the multiple, often devastating, health impacts of excessive intake of these nutrients. We contend with this in our work, and are especially troubled by the inequitable impacts of these conditions on the communities of color we serve, with Black, Hispanic, and Asian New Yorkers more likely to have hypertension than non-Hispanic white New Yorkers. Excessive added sugar consumption, and, especially, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, also has detrimental impacts on our patients."

New York City already requires chain restaurants to alert diners about high-sodium and high added-sugar menu items using clear warning icons, which data shows help to increase customer awareness. Together, both bills would mandate clear warning icons for menu items that exceed the daily recommended limits for added sugars and sodium at chain restaurants statewide, marking a significant step toward reducing excessive sodium and sugar intake, and supporting broader public health efforts to reduce the burden of diet-related chronic disease.

"Families are doing their best to make healthy dietary choices but are often stymied by a lack of transparency and information when they sit down to order at a restaurant," said Charles Moon, MD FAAP, co-chair of the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics' Public Policy & Advocacy Committee. "The state legislature has taken a major step forward in helping families make healthier and more informed dietary choices by passing the Sodium Warning Bill. The NYS AAP calls on the legislature to pass the companion Sweet Truth Act on to the Governor for her signature, and urges the Governor to sign these common sense public health and nutrition bills into law."

"My patients want to eat healthy food. They don't want a pill or an injection to survive diseases that an apple or broccoli could prevent. But simply because of where they live - in the Bronx or East Harlem, where fast food outnumbers green markets - they face far greater exposure to unhealthy food without adequate menu labeling explaining the risks. I am urging lawmakers to pass the Sweet Truth Act, and calling on Governor Hochul to sign the Sodium Warning Bill into law because my patients deserve to make informed choices," said Dr. Betty Kolod.

Letter

June 1, 2026

As physicians serving patients in New York, we, the undersigned, call on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, bills requiring chain restaurants to use menu warnings for items excessively high in sodium (S428A | A5207A) and excessively high in added sugars (S427 | A5305).

In our practices, we see the multiple, often devastating, health impacts of excessive intake of these nutrients.

Sodium

High levels of dietary sodium are a major factor in the leading cause of death in NYS, cardiovascular disease, as well as cerebrovascular disease (stroke), via increases in hypertension.

We contend with this in our work, and are especially troubled by the inequitable impacts of these conditions on the communities of color we serve, with Black, Hispanic, and Asian New Yorkers more likely to have hypertension than non-Hispanic white New Yorkers.

Overall, about 4.9 million adults in NYS (31%) report being told by a health professional they have high blood pressure, and 80% of that group reports taking medication to control it.

The recommended Daily Value for sodium consumption is less than 2,300 mg. However, the vast majority of Americans - about 90 percent of people living in the US - consume excessive levels of sodium, with an average daily intake of 3,393 mg of sodium (11?2 teaspoons), nearly one and a half times the recommended limit.

Dietary sodium reduction is a recommended strategy for prevention and treatment of hypertension and is supported by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, and other leading medical organizations.

In fact, researchers have estimated that reducing Americans' daily sodium intake by about a third (1,200mg) would prevent between 44,000 and 92,000 deaths per year from stroke, heart attack, and other causes. Even a smaller reduction in sodium of just under 10 percent (350 mg per day) could prevent about 1 million strokes and heart attacks, adding more than 1.3 million years to Americans' lives.

And yet, the current food environment makes reducing sodium intake difficult, if not impossible. The leading sources of sodium in the American diet, accounting for 71% of overall sodium intake, are from restaurants, prepackaged, and processed foods (as opposed to sodium inherent to a food or added during cooking or at the table) with restaurant foods having more sodium per calorie compared to food obtained from stores. The top food type contributing sodium to our diet is sandwiches---including the typical fast food fare of burgers, chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, breakfast sandwiches, sandwiches made with deli meats, and burritos/tacos. The average sodium content of a default combination meal at a chain restaurant in the US is 2,110 milligrams, a value that aggressively approaches the daily limit for sodium (2,300mg/day).

Sodium warning icons are one important part of a sodium reduction strategy, as they increase consumers' knowledge of sodium content and can lead to lower-sodium food purchases.

New York City successfully instituted warning labels for high sodium restaurant items in 2015. Given the current rates of hypertension throughout NYS, it's high time that the rest of the state followed.

Added Sugars

Excessive added sugar consumption, and, especially, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, also has detrimental impacts on our patients.

Among children and youth, these include pediatric overweight/obesity and related conditions including hypertension, dyslipidemia, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes (T2D), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), polycystic ovarian syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea, as well as dental caries. Also significant are the potential mental health comorbidities of pediatric obesity, including depression and anxiety.

For our adult patients, SSB consumption is associated with risk for weight gain, obesity, T2D, cardiovascular disease, tooth decay, and all-cause mortality.

Moreover, SSB consumption and its consequences are a health equity issue, with overweight, obesity and rates of T2D disproportionately affecting NY communities of color, particularly Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black youth and adults. Furthermore, obesity in NYS is more prevalent in adults currently living with a disability, adults living in rural areas, and in children and adults living in poverty.

The need for immediate action is critical in light of reports from the NYS Department of Health, the Trust for America's Health, and other expert bodies finding sharp increases in pediatric and adult obesity.

While SSB producers have tried to cast doubt on the role of their products as a driver of overweight/obesity, recent research has clearly established that SSB consumption has an outsize impact on weight gain. The SSB industry and its allies have contributed to the problem of pediatric overweight/obesity, T2D, and related health problems through aggressive target marketing of its products to children and youth of color, and by fostering retail and restaurant practices and environments which encourage heavy SSB consumption.

In closing, warning labels on products with high levels of sodium or added sugars, as these two bills require, would simply provide transparent, accurate information to restaurant consumers - including parents, other adult caretakers, and children and youth.

New York has a well-earned reputation for public health innovation, especially in defense of its most vulnerable residents.

In that tradition, it's time for the New York State Legislature and Governor to take decisive action to stem the tide of diet-related disease by enacting (S428A | A5207A) and excessively high in added sugars (S427 | A5305) and ensuring that warning labels are required on chain restaurant menu items which contain more than a day's worth of these nutrients.

Sincerely,

Ibrahi Ameen-Ikayi, MD

Sarah Ann Anderson, MD

Basherri Anjum, MD

Betty Ansong-Assoku

Priyanka Arya, MD

Saman Aryal, MD

Laxmi Aryal, MD

Mark Benkel, MD

Rachel Berman, MD

Janvi Bhavsar, MD

Jacalyn Bitterman, MD

Joan Budd, MD

Steve Caddle, MD

Alvaro Cardona, MD

Deniz Cataltepe, MD

Aepana Chhetei, MD

Vivian Chin, MD

Edward Conway, Jr., MD

Seth Congdon, MD

Alexandra Coritsidis, MD

Lynn Davidson, MD

Lisa Eiland, MD

David Fagan, MD

Kenneth Fifer, MD

Laurene Fleischer, MD

Maida Galvez, MD

Veena Ganesan, MD

Elizabeth Garland, MD

Brian Gilchrist, MD

Steven Goldstein, MD

Jack Gorman, MD

Melissa Grageda, MD

Tatyana Groysman, MD

Christina Guillen, MD

Amsita Gujar, MD

Leslie Hayes, MD

Silvia Huiracocha, MD

Omer Jarsoota, MD

Lauren Jen, MD

Kara Jordon, MD

Gareema Kadel, MD

Roger Kim, MD

Caroline Kirby, MD

Betty Kolod, MD

Noah Kondanndi, MD

Lewis Krata, MD

Gary Krigsman, MD

Daisy Lall, MD

Lauren Lightbourne, MD

Rita Malley, MD

Huma Mahmood, MD

Kemi Mascoll-Robertson, MD

Kalpana Master, MD

Luz Adriana Matiz, MD

Christian McCartney-Melstad, MD

Mara Minguez, MD

Charles Moon, MD

Hina Niyazi, MD

Oksana Nulman, MD

Sheila Palevsky, MD

Shailendra Pandey, MD

Abhinav Parikh, MD

J. Hyun Park, MD

Aaska Patel, MD

Sanjivan Patel, MD

Melisa Perez Navarrete, MD

Rohit Pinto, MD

Bipin Poudel, MD

Anna Pullicino, MD

Simon Rabinowitz, MD

Chetana Rajesh, MD

John Rausch, MD

Gina Reinoso, MD

Vanessa Salcedo, MD

Warren Seigel, MD

Spoorthy Settru, MD

Husna Siddique, MD

Katerina Silverblatt, MD

Perry Sheffield, MD

Arpana Singh, MD

Karen Soohoo, MD

Pinchi Sriinivasan, MD

Shyam Sundaresh, MD

Ileana Vargas, MD

Tania Vasquez Loarte, MD

Sarah Ventre, MD

Jessica Wachtel, MD

Ingrid Walker-Descartes

Thomas Wallach, MD

Jennifer Weintraub, MD

Oren Weiss, MD

Ira Weissman, MD

Joseph Wendt, MD

BACKGROUND

Sodium Warning Bill (S428A/A5207A): This bill requires chain restaurants to display warning icons next to menu items containing more than the daily recommended sodium limit of 2,300 milligrams. By providing clear, accessible information to diners, the legislation aims to reduce sodium intake across the population, help address rates of chronic disease, and improve public health outcomes.

Sweet Truth Act (S427/A5305): This bill requires chain restaurants to display warning icons next to menu items that exceed the daily recommended added sugars limit, much like the City Council's 2023 Sweet Truth Act and existing calorie counts, and seeks to protect New Yorkers from a number of diet-driven conditions, including rising rates of diabetes.

Why Sodium and Sugar Reduction Matter:

###