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06-14-2006, 05:40 AM
Consumer group sues KFC to stop trans fat use
Updated Tue. Jun. 13 2006 2:17 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
An American consumer group is suing the operator of KFC in a bid to force the fast food chain to stop cooking with trans fats.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) issued a court challenge to the fried chicken restaurant chain on Tuesday in an effort to raise awareness about the artery-clogging fat.
In the suit filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia against Yum Brands Inc., the CSPI charged that some KFC meals were "startlingly" high in trans fats from the partially hydrogenated oils used for frying.
Studies show that just five grams a day over many years boosts the heart disease risk by 25 per cent.
CSPI said a typical three-piece combo meal with an Extra Crispy chicken drumstick, two Extra Crispy thighs, potato wedges and a biscuit contained 15 grams of trans fat.
Health experts suggest minimizing the consumption of trans fat as research shows it raises LDL or "bad" cholesterol while lowering HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
"Grilled, baked, or roasted chicken is a healthy food -- and even fried chicken can be trans-fat-free," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson in a written statement.
"But coated in breading and fried in partially hydrogenated oil, this otherwise healthy food becomes something that can quite literally take years off your life. KFC knows this, yet it recklessly puts its customers at risk of a Kentucky Fried Coronary."
KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow dismissed the charges as "frivolous," saying that all KFC products were safe to eat and that the suit was "completely without merit."
She said the company provided trans fat values and other nutrition details on its website and at restaurants.
Schalow told Reuters that the company has been examining alternative oils, but must consider a number of issues such as availability, transportation and maintaining its chicken's taste before making any decisions.
The suit seeks to warn customers about the potential health hazard in the hopes they are better informed.
KFC "does not properly warn, disclose or even tell consumers that they are eating food items prepared with the worst oil available," the group said in a legal complaint.
The group requested a court order that would force KFC to switch to a healthier frying oil.
If that is ruled out, the group asked the court to require signs at KFC outlets notifying customers "KFC fried chicken and certain other foods contain trans fat, which promotes heart disease."
Although a decision against KFC in the lawsuit would only be binding in the District of Columbia, CSPI said it hopes the suit would compel the chain to change its practices across the country.
Kentucky-based Yum Brands Inc. also operates the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fast-food chains.
Meanwhile, burger chain Wendy's said it's planning to reduce trans fat levels by switching to a non-hydrogenated oil that will be used in its 6,300 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada in August.
The new blend of corn and soy oil will reduce trans fat to zero grams for Wendy's chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and chicken strips.
Though McDonald's Corp. vowed four years ago to remove trans fat from its french fries in the United States it has not yet done so.
Chief Executive Jim Skinner said in April that the company was still testing the oil and did not know when they would introduce the change.
Updated Tue. Jun. 13 2006 2:17 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
An American consumer group is suing the operator of KFC in a bid to force the fast food chain to stop cooking with trans fats.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) issued a court challenge to the fried chicken restaurant chain on Tuesday in an effort to raise awareness about the artery-clogging fat.
In the suit filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia against Yum Brands Inc., the CSPI charged that some KFC meals were "startlingly" high in trans fats from the partially hydrogenated oils used for frying.
Studies show that just five grams a day over many years boosts the heart disease risk by 25 per cent.
CSPI said a typical three-piece combo meal with an Extra Crispy chicken drumstick, two Extra Crispy thighs, potato wedges and a biscuit contained 15 grams of trans fat.
Health experts suggest minimizing the consumption of trans fat as research shows it raises LDL or "bad" cholesterol while lowering HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
"Grilled, baked, or roasted chicken is a healthy food -- and even fried chicken can be trans-fat-free," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson in a written statement.
"But coated in breading and fried in partially hydrogenated oil, this otherwise healthy food becomes something that can quite literally take years off your life. KFC knows this, yet it recklessly puts its customers at risk of a Kentucky Fried Coronary."
KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow dismissed the charges as "frivolous," saying that all KFC products were safe to eat and that the suit was "completely without merit."
She said the company provided trans fat values and other nutrition details on its website and at restaurants.
Schalow told Reuters that the company has been examining alternative oils, but must consider a number of issues such as availability, transportation and maintaining its chicken's taste before making any decisions.
The suit seeks to warn customers about the potential health hazard in the hopes they are better informed.
KFC "does not properly warn, disclose or even tell consumers that they are eating food items prepared with the worst oil available," the group said in a legal complaint.
The group requested a court order that would force KFC to switch to a healthier frying oil.
If that is ruled out, the group asked the court to require signs at KFC outlets notifying customers "KFC fried chicken and certain other foods contain trans fat, which promotes heart disease."
Although a decision against KFC in the lawsuit would only be binding in the District of Columbia, CSPI said it hopes the suit would compel the chain to change its practices across the country.
Kentucky-based Yum Brands Inc. also operates the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fast-food chains.
Meanwhile, burger chain Wendy's said it's planning to reduce trans fat levels by switching to a non-hydrogenated oil that will be used in its 6,300 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada in August.
The new blend of corn and soy oil will reduce trans fat to zero grams for Wendy's chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and chicken strips.
Though McDonald's Corp. vowed four years ago to remove trans fat from its french fries in the United States it has not yet done so.
Chief Executive Jim Skinner said in April that the company was still testing the oil and did not know when they would introduce the change.
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