Cut the Salt, Keep the Flavor coalition, a local advocacy group that focuses on health equity issues in Cleveland, wants to alert residents to the potential dangers of high sodium consumption in their food.
Two representatives from The Center for Black Health & Equity, a national nonprofit that advocates for public health programs and legislation for residents in their cities, spoke Tuesday on behalf of the coalition at a Cleveland City Council Health and Human Services Committee meeting. The group proposed a policy that would require fast food restaurant chains and local food spots to display a warning label or salt shaker icon next to menu items or combo meals that contain 1,500 milligrams of sodium or more.
Nearly 40% of Cuyahoga County adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, and 38% have high blood cholesterol, according to data from Healthy Northeast Ohio.
Ashley Hebert, senior program manager and community government relations from The Center for Black Health & Equity, told Signal Cleveland the policy could help decrease the number of residents with heart diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. In the United States, Black people are two times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than their white counterparts, according to the National Institute of Health.
“Cleveland has been a leader in advocating for policies that help residents live healthier lives,” Herbert said. “Now is an opportunity to introduce legislation that can create equitable health outcomes around food [and] nutrition that can improve and shape the lives of so many people in the city.”
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) for sodium consumption is 2,300 milligrams per day, or roughly a teaspoon of salt. The ingredient has a direct impact on blood pressure and heart disease, and reducing sodium levels will reduce the risk of developing these health problems, said Hebert.
In 2020, Cleveland became one of the first cities to prioritize consumer choice by enacting a policy making low-fat milk, water and 100% fruit juice the default beverage in restaurant kids’ meals.
Black Americans are at higher risk of obesity and heart disease, which is caused by many social and economic factors, including lack of access to healthy food options, transportation barriers according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.