The restaurant industry trade group is suing the New York City Board of Health to stop it from enforcing the new rule on the grounds it unfairly burdens restaurant owners and usurps the power of the popularly elected City Council by forcing restaurants with more than 15 locations nationwide to warn diners about salty foods.
Starting March 1, 2016, violators of the rule would be punished with a $200 fine, according to the report.
“The regulation, like the soda ban before it, is completely arbitrary in its scope, reach and application,” the group said in a statement. “With the sodium mandate, the board has required the disclosure of just enough inaccurate and controversial information about sodium in certain food items to cause far-reaching negative consequences rather than help consumers and reduce public health risks.”
Nick Paolucci, a spokesman for the city’s law department, responded to the lawsuit with this statement: “We are confident that the Board of Health has the authority to enact this rule. We will review the specific claims once we are served with the lawsuit.”
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