Teens, Docs, Lawmakers Call on NYS Legislature to Protect Kids From Junk Food, Pass Transparency Reform

BRONX, NY (04/23/2026) (readMedia)-- On Friday, at Roberto Clemente Plaza, Bronx lawmakers, physicians, youth, and community advocates will rally for Albany to pass a critical slate of food policy reforms designed to protect children and families across New York. During the event, advocates will highlight junk food items commonly marketed toward children and sold in chain restaurants without clear warning labels for high sodium and added sugar. The visual demonstration will highlight how families are left without transparent information at the point of purchase.

Key legislation includes:

• Predatory Marketing Prevention Act (S397/A2584 Myrie/Reyes) which will restrict misleading targeted food and beverage marketing aimed at children and adolescents
• Sodium Warning Bill (S428/A5207 Rivera/Reyes) which will require clear sodium warning icons on chain restaurant menus to ensure transparency and help consumers make informed choices
• Sweet Truth Act (S427/A5305 Rivera/Reyes) which will require clear added-sugar warning icons on chain restaurant menus, and extend the protections from NYC's existing Sweet Truth Act to families statewide

Major food and beverage companies spend billions annually marketing products high in salt and sugar, disproportionately targeting communities of color with aggressive campaigns. Research shows that Black and Latino children are exposed to significantly more junk food advertising than their white peers. These same communities often face a higher concentration of fast food restaurants, where menu items routinely exceed recommended limits of sodium and sugars-disparities linked to hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and diabetes, all leading causes of death in New York.

Watch the livestream here.