Bad Taste

New DOH Subway Ads Salt-Shame You

Ruin my commute, why don't you?
Ruin my commute, why don’t you? Photo: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

You’re sitting on the L train, bobbing your head to the new Strokes album, thinking about what food’s in your freezer. And then you look up. There’s an advertisement that warns, “Too much salt can lead to heart attack and stroke.” Oh, shit. You can’t look away. The rest of your subway ride is somber. Or at least that’s how Bloomberg wants you to feel when you see his new campaign. The Department of Health’s anti-salt ads are considerably less aggressive than its anti-soda “don’t drink yourself fat” ones, but these subtler ads make you feel bad in a different way. You’re supposed to be smart enough to read nutrition labels. You’re even supposed to compare them. You shouldn’t even be eating boxed crap, anyway. And that’s how Bloomberg will shame you into eating less salt — just like he’s successfully shamed companies like Heinz and Kraft into reducing the sodium in their products. [DI, Earlier, AP]

New DOH Subway Ads Salt-Shame You