Sauniere
10-31-2006, 01:14 AM
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1935511,00.html
-snip-
KFC pulls the hydrogenated fat out of the fryer
· Fast-food chain follows Wendy's in axing trans fats
· British outlets must wait for healthier option
Andrew Clark in New York
Tuesday October 31, 2006
The Guardian
KFC has made a rare change to Colonel Sanders's 50-year-old fried chicken recipe by axing the use of trans fats in the cooking of all but a handful of foods at its US restaurants.
KFC's decision marks the biggest concession yet by the fast-food industry to an increasingly powerful campaign against hydrogenated fats.
It announced the move the day that public hearings began in New York on a city-wide ban on trans fatty acids, which health experts say have no nutritional value and pose an unacceptable risk of heart disease.
KFC said it will replace trans fats with a new low-linolenic-acid soyabean oil by the end of April at its 5,500 US restaurants. But the chain has failed to set a date for the same change at its 711 outlets in the UK, saying only that it is "reviewing its options".
A spokeswoman for KFC's British arm said: "KFC UK is actively working on alternative oil options with the goal of eliminating trans fats as soon as possible."
The controversial substances are solid fats formed in vegetable oils heated to high temperatures. The British Medical Journal recently published a study suggesting that a 2% increase in daily intake of trans fats is associated with a 23% rise in the incidence of heart disease.
The food industry has used trans fats for many years because they tend to be cheaper and make oil last longer, giving food a longer shelf life.
In Britain, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have all said they will stop using trans fats in their own-brand products by January, and Marks & Spencer has already eliminated them. The US burger chain Wendy's has removed trans fats from its fries and chicken but the world's biggest fast-food firm, McDonald's, is still using them...
-snip-
KFC pulls the hydrogenated fat out of the fryer
· Fast-food chain follows Wendy's in axing trans fats
· British outlets must wait for healthier option
Andrew Clark in New York
Tuesday October 31, 2006
The Guardian
KFC has made a rare change to Colonel Sanders's 50-year-old fried chicken recipe by axing the use of trans fats in the cooking of all but a handful of foods at its US restaurants.
KFC's decision marks the biggest concession yet by the fast-food industry to an increasingly powerful campaign against hydrogenated fats.
It announced the move the day that public hearings began in New York on a city-wide ban on trans fatty acids, which health experts say have no nutritional value and pose an unacceptable risk of heart disease.
KFC said it will replace trans fats with a new low-linolenic-acid soyabean oil by the end of April at its 5,500 US restaurants. But the chain has failed to set a date for the same change at its 711 outlets in the UK, saying only that it is "reviewing its options".
A spokeswoman for KFC's British arm said: "KFC UK is actively working on alternative oil options with the goal of eliminating trans fats as soon as possible."
The controversial substances are solid fats formed in vegetable oils heated to high temperatures. The British Medical Journal recently published a study suggesting that a 2% increase in daily intake of trans fats is associated with a 23% rise in the incidence of heart disease.
The food industry has used trans fats for many years because they tend to be cheaper and make oil last longer, giving food a longer shelf life.
In Britain, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have all said they will stop using trans fats in their own-brand products by January, and Marks & Spencer has already eliminated them. The US burger chain Wendy's has removed trans fats from its fries and chicken but the world's biggest fast-food firm, McDonald's, is still using them...