‘The silent killer’: Health advocates say Cleveland restaurant menus should have sodium warnings
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Health advocates have proposed a policy requiring sodium intake warnings for the saltiest items on the menu at Cleveland restaurants, to help residents be more conscious of their cardiovascular health.
Cleveland City Council’s committee on Health, Human Services & the Arts at a Monday meeting hosted members of The Center for Black Health and Equity, who proposed requiring local eateries to warn diners of menu items containing high levels of sodium.
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“As you all know, sodium is referred to as a silent killer. This is because it too often comes up without warning signs, without symptoms,” Kayla Holland, the center’s food nutrition program manager, told the committee on Monday.
“It’s the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease like heart attack and stroke. Studies show excess sodium intake is higher in restaurant foods. … Restaurant foods tend to have more sodium than foods prepared at home.”
Nearly half-a-million deaths in the U.S. each year are related to high blood pressure, and that’s something affecting about 41% of Clevelanders, Holland said.
Nationwide, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American adults, and Black people are more at-risk, said Ashley Hebert, the center’s senior program manager for community and government relations.
The average American takes in about 3,500 mg of sodium per day, according to the American Heart Association. But the association recommends an upper limit of 2,300 mg and ideally no more than 1,500 mg.
More than three-quarters of the sodium Americans consume come from restaurant or processed foods, Hebert said.
“Subway, who always says, ‘Eat Fresh’ — we talk about going there and getting sandwiches because of the vegetables that are on them — actually has some of the highest sodium concentration levels — higher than some McDonald’s,” Julie Johnson, CEO of Cleveland’s Hunger Network, said during the meeting.
Just a 6-inch Subway sandwich can have anywhere between 580 mg of sodium to 2,930 mg, according to nutrition facts found on the chain’s website. A Big Mac has about 1,050 mg, according to the McDonald’s website.
The proposed policy would require warning icon and labels reading “sodium warning” right next to the items as they appear on the menu.
“When given an option, most people will generally go with the healthier option,” said Hebert.
New York City officials approved a similar policy in 2015 requiring a warning label for dishes with a sodium content calculated at more than 2,300 mg. Philadelphia approved one in 2018, which expanded the requirement to fast food chains as well, Hebert said.
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Cleveland’s proposed policy would expand the definition of “food service establishment” to include restaurants, delis and gas stations. The sodium threshold for a required warning label would be 1,500 mg, the heart association’s ideal daily limit.
Advocates said the policy, if approved, could be implemented within six months to a year. Cleveland Department of Public Health has signaled it would help local restaurants tabulate the sodium content of their food.
“We definitely want to meet business owners in the middle and give them time to reprint their menus and emphasize why their menus might need a sodium label,” Johnson said.
FOX 8 News reached out to Subway for comment.
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