Sugar warning labels soon required for NYC chain restaurants, including Starbucks and Dunkin'

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The Adams administration approved a bill mandating chain restaurants in New York City to display warning labels on menu items with excessive added sugar content in an effort to address diet-related health concerns.

The new rule, part of a package of bills passed by the City Council and signed by Mayor Eric Adams last November, will require fast-food chains and coffee shops to place warning labels on menu boards and packaging for items containing more than 50 grams of added sugar.

“Food is medicine and we have an obligation and responsibility as a city, not only to react to the healthcare crisis, but to be proactive to prevent some of the health care issues,” Adams told 1010 WINS in an interview Thursday. “Sugar is one of the leading causes of health-related items and issues and diseases.”

The proposed warning labels will read: "Eating too many added sugars can contribute to diabetes and weight gain."

While this regulation won't affect small businesses, major outlets like Starbucks, Dunkin', and McDonald's will be required to comply. Restaurants failing to label their menus could face fines of $200 per violation, effective June 19, 2024, if the bill passes.

"Cutting back on sugar probably saved my life... I went from drinking a 2-liter of Coke every day to drinking black coffee,” Spiro, a coffee cart vendor and diabetic who has lost 150 pounds by cutting sugar from his diet, told 1010 WINS.

New York City became the first in the nation to enact a law that mandates added sugars warnings on prepackaged foods sold in chain restaurants. Known as INT-1326B or The Sweet Truth Act, the legislation requires these restaurants to post warning icons on food or drink items containing more than 50 grams of added sugars.

The city saw a 356% rise in diabetes during the first wave of COVID-19 . Prior to the pandemic, a New York City resident was already dying from diabetes-related causes every 90 minutes, making the new law a step forward in public health.

A public hearing on this matter is scheduled for May 23.