oh sweet the ‘nanny state’ is back!
Fast food chains and coffee shops in New York City would have to post warnings on menu boards and packaging under a new rule from the Adams administration.
The first edict from the city’s Health Department will mean warning labels on foods and drinks with more than 50 grams of added sugar, including frozen coffee drinks from places like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, fountain sodas and even hot chocolate.
Food outlets with 15 or more stores in the US are ordered to use a warning icon a spoon loaded with heaps of sugar to alert and perhaps embarrass the sweetest customers.
The proposed warning will read: Eating too many added sugars can contribute to type 2 diabetes and weight gain.”
“Type 2 diabetes is a leading cause of premature death in New York City,” the Department of Health said.
The US Dietary Guidelines recommend that added sugar be less than 50 grams or 10% of the recommended intake of 2,000 calories per day.
An average Coke drink at McDonald’s contains 56 grams of sugar and would require a warning label, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Many frozen coffees and other drinks at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks contain more than 50 grams of added sugar such as Dunkin’s Butter Pecan and Caramel Swirl frozen coffee, which are pumped with over 100 grams of sugar.
- A large vanilla Coolatta has 150 grams of added sugar.
- Dunkin’ Big Blue Strawberry Energy Drinks powered by Rockstar contain nearly 100 grams of added sugar.
- A large Dunkin’ Lemonade Kiwi Watermelon Soft Drink has 74 grams of added sugar.
- A large frozen Matcha Latte with almond milk has 109 grams of added sugar.
- Even a large lemonade has 59 grams of sugar and a large hot chocolate has 63 grams of added sugar.
- Starbucks White Peppermint Frappuccino has 73 grams of added sugar and Peppermint Mocha has 63 grams of sugar, according to eatthis.com.
Health officials have drafted the new rules to enforce the Sweet Truth Act passed by Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council last year.
Restaurants that ignore the law face fines of $200 to $500 per violation.
The department is accepting public comments on the new rule, which is expected to take effect June 19 for prepackaged food schedules and Dec. 1 for beverages and foods sold in restaurants that are not packaged.
Critics slammed the rule as another example of government overreach.
“It’s the nanny state that becomes the nanny city,” said Conservative Party state chairman Gerard Kassar.
Kassar said many New Yorkers are unhappy with Adams and “this nanny reach is only going to make him unpopular.
“As for the City Council, I don’t consider them an arbiter of anything,” he added.
But health advocates applauded the new rule.
“With New York facing alarming rates of diabetes in both adults and children, communities deserve the truth about the amount of added sugars in food and beverages offered at chain restaurants,” said Dr. DeAnna Nara, senior policy associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
“This bill is a pioneering step to empower consumers to make better choices and encourage the food industry to introduce healthier options.
Adams is picking up the nanny baton from his predecessors, former mayors Mike Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio.
Bloomberg, a self-proclaimed health fanatic, launched a controversial law a generation ago that banned smoking in bars and restaurants and banned trans fats from restaurants and bakeries.
He was defeated when he tried to ban the sale of large sugary drinks from fountains in convenience stores, which was called the “Big Gulp” edict.
The courts said so and the Board of Health could not do it without the approval of the City Council.
Under De Blasio in 2015, the Health Department issued the nation’s first mandate requiring restaurant chains to post a warning icon next to menu items that contain at least 2,300 mg of salt or sodium to help prevent heart disease, stroke and type. 2 diabetes
Adams, a health-conscious vegetarian, has also been on a kick to banish sweetened chocolate milk and other sugary milks from school cafeterias.
But it has faced stiff resistance from the upstate dairy industry and lawmakers, including powerful House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik.
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