Government
Philadelphia's Quasi-Secret Effort to Make Chinese Takeout Healthier Is Working
Nearly 200 of the city’s Chinese restaurants have reduced the amount of sodium in some of their most popular dishes, and no one seemed to notice.
The good people of Philadelphia are no different from you or me: Sometimes, after a long day at work, all they want is a Styrofoam container of cheap and steaming hot lo mein.
In fact, there are more Chinese restaurants in Philly than there are chain restaurants combined, says Giridhar Mallya, who directs policy and planning at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. But like so many fun habits, this one has consequences—most take-out Chinese dishes are also sodium-bombs.