Restaurants Are Adding a Pyramid Warning to Certain Items—Here’s Why

Overview of New Menu Symbol

A new pyramid-shaped warning label is appearing on menus at chain restaurants across New York City, marking the first policy in the United States to require notification for high-sugar items. The rule applies to any food or drink item containing 50 grams or more of added sugar, the total recommended daily limit for a 2,000-calorie diet. Daniel Reche / Pexels

Why the Policy Was Introduced

High sugar consumption remains widespread in the United States. A 2024 Talker Research survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found the average American consumes 99 grams of sugar daily, significantly exceeding federal nutrition guidelines. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that added sugars account for no more than 10 percent of daily calories — roughly 48 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Obesity continues to be a major health concern, with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing 40.3 percent of U.S. adults were obese between August 2021 and August 2023, particularly among individuals aged 40 to 59. Suzy Hazelwood / Pexels

Details of the New York City Regulation

According to the New York City Department of Health, “New York City chain restaurants must now post an icon on their menus next to any prepackaged food or drink or non-packaged equivalent that contains 50 grams (g) or more of added sugars, the daily recommended limit for a 2,000 calorie diet.”

The department added that the rule is intended to “warn consumers of the health dangers associated with eating and drinking too many added sugars over time, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and tooth decay.”

The policy applies to roughly 4,000 restaurants that are part of chains with 15 or more locations nationwide. It covers both packaged items bearing Nutrition Facts Labels and equivalent non-packaged foods and beverages. The legislation was originally approved in 2023. Lukas Kloeppel / Pexels

Public Health Reactions

Acting New York Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said in a statement shared with Newsweek: “Every New Yorker deserves access to delicious, healthy food that they feel good about eating. 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. Just one large sugary drink can exceed the daily recommended amount of added sugars. Through this rule, we aim for New Yorkers to have more insight into the amount of sugar in certain products to make more informed choices.” KineticStudios, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What Comes Next Nationally?

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has signaled broader federal attention to nutrition policy, noting his intention to address factors contributing to what he has called the U.S. “Obesity epidemic” as part of efforts to “make America Healthy Again.” His comments suggest additional national policies related to food and beverage health standards could follow. Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images