Banning Salt in NY Restaurants

A bill has been introduced in the NY State Assembly that would ban the use of salt in the preparation of restaurant foods. Each violation would result in a $1000 fine.

Even as someone with newfound high blood pressure, I don't think that chefs should be hamstrung from using salt in preparing foods. It's actually a vital component in most successful dishes. Of course, I'm talking about legitimate craftsmen and women who use quality ingredients in original recipes. The sad reality is, though, most restaurants use at least some level of processed foods (courtesy of Sysco). You can usually tell if the menu is far too extensive for a kitchen to freshly prepare every item. Soups and dessert courses are often pre-prepared, which means sodium processing. And THAT's where most of the problem lies—not in the freshly prepared foods (even with added salt), but the prepared/frozen stuff that's just as bad when we prepare it ourselves at home as it is when someone cooks it for us in a restaurant.

I don't think this bill has any chance of passing, and while I hope its drafters intentions were good, it doesn't seem to be the right solution. Chefs should be encouraged to find lower-sodium solutions, but not mandated to do so. Labeling might help, as NY already requires calorie and fat content in most places. But cooking is a creative endeavor, and it's not up to the legislature to limit one's creativity. Sysco, however... that's not creativity.

For more info, here's the news story where I learned about this (via Google search, I'm no fan of Fox).