Bill Text: NY A06529 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Requires chain restaurants to place an icon on menus next to food items that have a high content of sodium.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-01 - print number 6529a [A06529 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A06529-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         6529--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     April 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. REYES, SIMON, ANDERSON -- read once and referred
          to the Committee on Health -- recommitted to the Committee  on  Health
          in  accordance  with  Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged,
          bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended  and  recommitted  to  said
          committee

        AN  ACT  to  amend the public health law, in relation to requiring chain
          restaurants to label menu items that have a high content of sodium

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
     2  1357 to read as follows:
     3    § 1357. Chain restaurants; sodium content of menu  items.  1.    Defi-
     4  nitions. For purposes of this section the following terms shall have the
     5  following meanings:
     6    a.  "Chain menu developer" means the person that owns and licenses the
     7  brand  name  under  which a chain restaurant does business, or any other
     8  person responsible for determining  the  formula  or  recipe  for  items
     9  displayed on the menu of a chain restaurant.
    10    b.  "Chain  restaurant" means a food service establishment, as defined
    11  in part fourteen of the New York sanitary code 10 NYCRR 14-1.20, that is
    12  part of a chain with fifteen or more locations within  the  state  doing
    13  business under the same name, regardless of the type of ownership of the
    14  locations, and offering for sale substantially similar menu items.
    15    c.  "Daily  value"  means the daily reference value used by the United
    16  States Food and Drug Administration in  calculating  the  percent  daily
    17  value for nutrition information provided on food labels.
    18    d.  "Menu  or  menu board" means the primary writing of a food service
    19  establishment from which a customer makes an order selection, including,
    20  but not limited to, breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus;  dessert  menus;
    21  beverage  menus;  children's  menus;  other  specialty menus; electronic
    22  menus; and menus on the internet.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05818-04-4

        A. 6529--A                          2

     1    e. "Standard menu item" means a food or beverage item that  is  listed
     2  on a menu or menu board, excluding temporary menu items appearing on the
     3  menu for less than sixty days per calendar year.
     4    2.  Industry guidance. No later than one year after the effective date
     5  of this section, the department shall publish  guidance  explaining  the
     6  requirements of this section and how businesses can comply.
     7    3.    Sodium  warning icon. No later than one year after the effective
     8  date of this section, the department shall develop an icon with accompa-
     9  nying text that shall be displayed adjacent to the name of any  standard
    10  menu  item  that exceeds the daily value for sodium. Beginning two years
    11  after the effective date of this section any chain restaurant  operating
    12  within  the  state and not otherwise exempted under subdivision seven of
    13  this section shall display on menus or menu boards:
    14    a.  The sodium warning icon and accompanying text promulgated  by  the
    15  department pursuant to this subdivision, at a height no smaller than the
    16  largest letter in the name of the item; and
    17    b. The following factual statement explaining the sodium warning icon:
    18  "Warning  (insert  icon image and accompanying text here) indicates that
    19  the sodium (salt) content of this item is higher than  the  total  daily
    20  recommended limit (2300 mg). High sodium intake can increase blood pres-
    21  sure and the risk of heart disease and stroke."
    22    4.    Chain  menu  developer  reporting requirement. Once every ninety
    23  days, each chain menu developer  shall  report  to  the  department  the
    24  amount  of  sodium  in each standard menu item offered for sale in their
    25  chain restaurant, or that no changes to the menu information  have  been
    26  made since the last report.
    27    5.   Report required. No later than six years after the effective date
    28  of this section, the department shall issue a report reviewing  evidence
    29  of  the  impact  of this section on menu item reformulation and consumer
    30  behavior, and recommend additional nutrients that should  be  considered
    31  for menu warning icons.
    32    6.  Violations.   Any chain restaurant that violates the provisions of
    33  this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not  more  than  two
    34  hundred fifty dollars per day for each location not in compliance.
    35    7.  Exemptions.  The sodium warning icon required pursuant to subdivi-
    36  sion three of this section shall not be required to be displayed next to
    37  a menu item that is already labeled with a sodium icon equal or  greater
    38  in  size  and  similar in general appearance, when such icon is required
    39  pursuant to a rule, regulation, ordinance, local law,  order  or  policy
    40  issued  by another jurisdiction having the same or substantially similar
    41  effect as determined by the commissioner.  Food  service  establishments
    42  exempted  from  the sodium warning labeling requirement by this subdivi-
    43  sion shall be used in determining if a particular  food  service  estab-
    44  lishment is a chain restaurant.
    45    § 2. Severability. If any provision of this act, or any application of
    46  any provision of this act, is held to be invalid, or to  violate  or  be
    47  inconsistent  with  any federal law or regulation, that shall not affect
    48  the validity or effectiveness of any other provision of this act, or  of
    49  any  other  application of any provision of this act, which can be given
    50  effect without that provision or  application;  and  to  that  end,  the
    51  provisions and applications of this act are severable.
    52    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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