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American Heart Association urges Ohio committee to require high‑sodium warnings for chains; amendment accepted for further consideration
Summary
At a House Agriculture Committee hearing, the American Heart Association urged adoption of an amendment to require a high-sodium icon on menus for chains of 20+ locations; the committee accepted the amendment and held additional Q&A but did not vote on final passage.
The House Agriculture Committee considered Amendment No. 0793 to House Bill 364 that would require food chains with 20 or more locations to display a high‑sodium warning next to menu items containing 50% or more of the recommended daily reference value.
Dr. Surender Narabatla, a senior cardiac surgeon and member of the Ohio American Heart Association state advocacy committee, testified in support, saying excess sodium is a "silent and pervasive threat" linked to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and other conditions. Dr. Narabatla cited current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommending less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day and an ideal limit of 1,500 milligrams for many adults.
He told the committee research indicates roughly 70% of Americans’ sodium comes from processed, packaged and prepared foods rather than salt added at tables or during cooking. As a result, the amendment would require a visible warning icon on menus for qualifying chain items and would give the Ohio Department of Health one year from the bill’s effective date to adopt rules and two years for restaurants to comply.
Representative Sims asked whether the 20‑location threshold applied to restaurants with 20 locations in Ohio only or nationwide; the witness clarified the amendment counts locations under the same name whether they are in Ohio or elsewhere, meaning a national chain with 20+ locations would qualify even if only a small number are currently in the state.
Representative Schmidt asked about industry outreach. The witness and Dr. Narabatla said they had contacted the Ohio Restaurant Association and the Independent Restaurant Association; they reported limited engagement from the statewide restaurant association and said independent restaurants were not prepared to voluntarily reduce salt content.
The committee accepted the amendment explanation without objection and concluded the second hearing on HB 364; no final vote on the underlying bill was recorded during this session.
