Oh, sweet — the ‘nanny state’ is back!
Fast-food chains and coffee shops in New York City would have to slap a warning on menu boards and packaging under a new rule from the Adams administration.
The city Health Department’s first-in-the-nation edict will mean labels warning on food 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 maybe shame sweet-toothed customers.
The proposed warning will say, “Eating too many added sugars can contribute to type 2 diabetes and weight gain.”
“Type 2 diabetes is among the leading causes of premature deaths in New York City,” the Health Department said.
US Dietary guidelines recommend that added sugar should be less than 50 grams or 10% of the recommended 2,000-calorie-a-day intake.
A medium Coca-Cola 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.
Numerous frozen coffee 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 up with more than 100 grams of sugar.
- A large Vanilla Bean Coolatta has 150 grams of added sugar.
- Dunkin’s large Blue Raspberry and Strawberry Energy Drinks powered by Rockstar contain nearly 100 grams of added sugar.
- A large Kiwi Watermelon Dunkin’ Lemonade Refresher 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.
The health cops have drafted the new rules to enforce the Sweet Truth Act approved 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 comment on the new rule, which is expected to go into effect on June 19 for prepackaged food times and Dec. 1 for beverages and food sold at the restaurant that is not packaged.
Critics blasted the rule as another example of government overreach.
“It’s the nanny state becoming the nanny city,” said state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar.
Kassar said many New Yorkers are unhappy with Adams and “this nanny overreach will only make him unpopular.
“As for the City Council, I don’t consider them an arbiter on anything,” he added.
But health advocates cheered 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 foods and beverages offered at chain restaurants,” said Dr. DeAnna Nara, senior policy associate with the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
“This bill is a ground-breaking step towards empowering consumers to make better choices and encouraging the food industry to present healthier options.”
Adams is grabbing the nanny baton from his predecessors, former Mayors Mike Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio.
Bloomberg, a self-professed health zealot, rammed through a controversial law a generation ago banning smoking in bars and eateries and banned trans fats from restaurants and bakeries.
He was rebuffed when he sought to ban the sale of large sugary drinks from fountains in convenience stores, which was referred to as the “Big Gulp” edict.
The courts said and the Board of Health could not do so without approval of the City Council.
Under de Blasio in 2015, the Health Department issued the first-in-the-nation mandate requiring chain restaurants 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 expel sugary chocolate milk and other sweetened milk from school cafeterias.
But he has faced stiff resistance from the upstate dairy industry and lawmakers including powerful House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik.
