A tiny white spoon suspended in a black triangle is starting to pop up on fast food menus across the five boroughs as chain restaurants come into compliance with a local law requiring them to place the warning symbols next to sugary beverages and snacks.
On a recent afternoon, sugar spoons were on display next to some, but not all, of the individual beverages and combo meals with more than 50 grams of added sugar at Lower Manhattan locations of McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Shake Shack.
The new rules require chain restaurants to post warnings informing consumers of the health dangers associated with excess sugar consumption, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, weight gain and tooth decay, but the sugar symbols themselves are detached from any text.
During the public comment period on the regulations, Rummo told city officials that research suggested a larger, red symbol with accompanying text would be more effective.
“ Noticing it is step No. 1 because it won't have an impact unless someone notices it,” said Pasquale Rummo, an associate professor in the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
But public health researchers have found that past attempts to nudge fast-food patrons into better eating habits have had mixed results. And some worry New York’s small, black-and-white sugar spoons aren’t as eye-catching as they need to be to get consumers’ attention.
City officials and public health advocates are lauding the addition of the sugar spoons — which now appear on menus alongside calorie information and sodium warnings in the form of tiny salt shakers — as a way to empower consumers to make healthier dietary choices.
“As the first in the nation to add a warning icon for added sugars, this rule underlines our longstanding work to ensure New Yorkers have information about the food they eat,” Dr. Michelle Morse, the acting city health commissioner, said in a statement. “Just one large sugary drink can exceed the daily recommended amount of added sugars.”
New York City became the first jurisdiction in the country to require sugar warnings on chain restaurant menus when the City Council passed the Sweet Truth Act in 2023. Restaurants with at least 15 locations had to start putting the symbols up this month next to menu items with more than 50 grams of added sugar, the maximum daily amount recommended in federal dietary guidelines.
The sugar warning appears next to fountain sodas on a menu screen at Shake Shack, but not shakes. The new city regulations only apply to certain types of products.
... continue reading