Teens, Docs, Lawmakers Urge Albany to Protect Kids From Junk Food, Pass Transparency Reform

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BRONX, NY (04/24/2026) (readMedia)-- Today, at Roberto Clemente Plaza, more than a dozen Bronx and citywide community groups, youth advocates, and health professionals joined Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Karines Reyes for a rally urging Albany lawmakers to pass a crucial slate of food safety reform designed to limit youth-targeted predatory marketing and strengthen menu transparency: the Sodium Warning Bill, Sweet Truth Act, and Predatory Marketing Prevention Act. In between several local fast food chains including Popeyes and Checkers, advocates highlighted junk food items commonly marketed toward children and sold in chain restaurants without clear warning labels for high sodium and added sugar.

Watch a recording of the event and view the attached photos.

Together, the legislation aims to enhance food safety through the following measures:

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

The bills continue to advance through the Legislature. In the Assembly, the Sodium Warning Bill has advanced the furthest and is now awaiting a floor vote. The Predatory Marketing Prevention Act is currently in the Consumer Affairs Committee, and the Sweet Truth Act is in the Health Committee. In the Senate, the Sweet Truth Act has been reported to the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee, the Sodium Warning Bill has been reported to the Finance Committee, and the Predatory Marketing Prevention Act awaits a vote in the Senate Agriculture Committee.

For seventeen consecutive years, the Bronx has ranked as New York's unhealthiest county - a reflection of the borough's food insecurity and high rates of diet-related disease, including hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes, all leading causes of death statewide. Research confirms that Black and Latino children are exposed to significantly more junk food advertising than their white peers, and data from the NYC Department of Health further reveals that Black, Latino, and Asian New Yorkers are about twice as likely to have diabetes as white New Yorkers.

Families nationwide are already up against billions in fast food marketing campaigns, but in New York City in particular, fast food franchises with unhealthy menu items are often concentrated in communities of color. Yet, many of these chains fail to provide clear nutritional information, leaving customers unaware that certain meals exceed the recommended daily limits for sodium and added sugars.

"Limiting our daily sodium and sugar intake is critical to preventing heart disease and other health conditions," said State Senator Gustavo Rivera, Chair of the Health Committee. "I am proud to join colleagues and advocates to urge our Legislature to pass these bills that would help New Yorkers make informed decisions about their food when visiting chain restaurants in our State. Families deserve straightforward information about the food they are purchasing and consuming. I will continue to advocate for initiatives that foster informed decision-making so that New Yorkers can make healthier choices for themselves."

"As a nurse, a mom, and a representative of one of New York's most underserved communities, I have seen firsthand what happens when families are left without the tools to protect their own health. The disparities we see in the Bronx are not inevitable; they are the result of a food environment engineered to overwhelm families and a policy landscape that has let corporations dodge accountability for far too long," said Assemblymember Karines Reyes, R.N., Chair of the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force. "Our communities are not asking anyone to make choices for them. They are asking for honest information so they can make the best choices for themselves. These bills are how we start to level that playing field, advocate for comprehensive food justice, and build an equitable landscape that prioritizes the well-being of our families. I urge Albany to act."

"New Yorkers are up against billion-dollar corporations focused on getting them hooked on junk food for a lifetime. The resulting chronic health disparities drive up costs for our healthcare system and shorten our lifespans. The PMPA, along with the other bills in this package, would help level the playing field and give New Yorkers a chance to make healthier decisions for themselves and their families," said Senator Zellnor Myrie.

"For too long, New Yorkers have been bombarded with junk food options that jeopardize entire communities' health, while companies fail to adequately inform customers about the dangers on their menus. The PMPA, Sodium Warning Bill, and Sweet Truth Act are critical steps toward dismantling the harmful marketing practices that endanger our youth, and offering New Yorkers transparency about what's on our plates. Albany must act now to prioritize health equity and give families a fighting chance against diet-related diseases," said Isaiah Blake, CSPI Engagement Associate.

"As a high school senior from the Bronx, I have constantly felt and witnessed the harmful effects of junk food throughout my life. We are introduced to a wide range of unhealthy foods early on. From our neighborhoods to our schools-there is often a repeated presence of greasy foods like pizza, chicken nuggets, burgers, and more. We are surrounded by a food apartheid that promotes unhealthy food to low-income individuals; without the right measures taken, this leads to health issues and chronic illness. Our communities should not suffer through these issues, as health is a right everyone should have. These bills are a clear symbol of the goal that I have: promoting healthy, nutritious food for everyone–-something that I will continue to advocate for," said Yandel Ramirez, High School Student and Chilis on Wheels Fellow.

NYSNA Director at Large and BronxCare nurse Dr. Flandersia Jones, DrPH, R.N., said: "NYSNA nurses see the effects of health inequities and food insecurity every day. Many of our neighborhoods lack the healthy options others have access to, and far too many of our patients suffer from hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and diabetes as a result. We support food policy reforms that would protect children and families, hold predatory companies accountable, and improve the health of New Yorkers."

"We know that excessive levels of sodium and added sugar can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions," said Tabitha Ellis, American Heart Association New York State Advocacy Committee, Chair. "By adding clear, visual icons on menus to identify items containing more than a day's recommended amount of sodium or sugar, this legislation empowers consumers to make informed choices that are right for them."

"Our teens are fighting an unfair battle - one where junk food is inescapable while fresh, affordable options remain out of reach. The Bronx faces some of the highest rates of childhood diet-related disease in the state, a product of a food environment that's stacked against youth. Teens deserve access to nutritious foods and legislation that protects their right to grow up healthy. We urge Albany to take a stand for food justice and work towards much-needed reform," said Emily Miller, Director of Development and Communications, Teens for Food Justice.

"As a retired Bronx physician with over 50 years of experience, I have watched our borough suffer some of the highest rates of obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes in New York State - and an unrelenting food industry that targets our most vulnerable children with aggressive junk food marketing is chief among the reasons why. Transparent food labeling is not a courtesy, but a necessity for the health of our children. It's time for Albany to step in and pass this reform package immediately before more New Yorkers fall victim to Big Food's tactics," said Jack M. Gorman M.D., President and Co-Founder, Critica.

"The food sold in New York's restaurants and stores shaped my childhood, and it is shaping the childhoods of millions of kids across the State right now. Our families deserve to know what is in their food, deserve warning labels on items that will put them in the hospital, and deserve schools that do not serve their children synthetic dyes linked to harm. Muslim Community Network stands with our champions in the legislature and our coalition in calling on Albany to pass this package this session. South Bronx families have waited long enough," said Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director, Muslim Community Network.

"In our community, Bronx families are striving to eat healthier and take better care of their loved ones. But that change is all the more difficult when our neighborhoods are flooded with unhealthy options and aggressive marketing. At Sapna, we directly serve South Asian residents who already face elevated risk of developing conditions like diabetes and heart disease. We can't continue to leave Bronxites vulnerable and miss opportunities for meaningful reform. That's why we're standing with our district representative, Assemblymember Reyes, and urging Albany to pass the PMPA, Sweet Truth Act, and the Sodium Warning Bill," said Diya Basu-Sen, Executive Director, Sapna NYC.

"Here in the Bronx, health disparities are by no means accidental. They are the result of systemic neglect and a food policy landscape that lets corporations dodge accountability. When corner stores outnumber grocery stores and fast food chains target children with misleading ads, it's no surprise that our community suffers. Reining in manipulative marketing and mandating clear warning labels for high-sodium and high-added sugar menu items are essential steps toward building a safer food environment for children and families. We are calling on Albany to take bold action by passing this critical reform," said Rashaun Buchanan, Food Justice and Youth Coordinator, Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center.

"Bronx residents deserve clear, honest information when making decisions about what foods to eat," said Charmaine Ruddock, Project Director of the Institute for Family Health's Bronx Health REACH. "These bills would help counter harmful, targeted marketing and give those living in Bronx communities hit hardest by diet-related disease, the information they need to make healthier choices."

"People deserve to know the truth about what they're consuming on a daily basis and the damaging effect it's having on their physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual health. Food literacy is one of the many unspoken keys to sovereignty and collective liberation for all - especially historically underserved and oppressed communities. Health is not a privilege - it is a divine right," said Phoenix Ríszing, Community Organizer at Chilis on Wheels.

"It is more important than ever to provide nutritious food for all communities, and for that information to be clear and discernible to them," said Amber Perez, Altagracia Faith And Justice Works Obras de Fe y Justicia Intern.

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