Fast food chains to end use of trans fats
By Amy Robinson, Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State U.
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: News
Lawmakers from nearly a dozen states, including Florida, are choosing sides in the trans fats debate and are proposing bills to ban or limit the use of artificial fats in school cafeterias as well as restaurants, according to the Rocky Mountain News. A national plan may go into effect as early as 2008.
Besides possibly causing cancer, trans fats increase the risk of coronary heart disease. This silent killer causes the hardening of arteries and its effects can be seen even in children, Clifford said.
"There is no certain recommendation for trans fats. Right now, we are recommending zero grams," Clifford said. "You should limit your intake amount. Having fast food once a month is not going to kill you or cause heart disease. Other places where trans fats tend to hang out are in baked goods, cookies, crackers and frozen entrees."
When eating fast food, Clifford recommends ordering smaller portions and having something healthy, such as a vegetable salad with light dressing, to balance out the rest of the meal.
Restaurants are starting to follow suit, Clifford said. Wendy's International Inc. has already started cooking with oils that are free of trans fats. KFC and Taco Bell, both owned by Yum Brand Inc., have announced they plan to do the same. Burger King Holdings Inc. and Starbucks Corp. are planning on implementing changes as well.
Good Times Restaurants Inc., a Colorado-based company, was one of the first restaurants to join Wendy's in the campaign against trans fats. The process to change to healthier cooking oils began in 2006. Good Times' decision was based on consumer input, said Nick Biegel, Good Times' director of purchasing.
"We decided to switch to cooking oil without trans fat because it was the right thing to do," Biegel said. "A lot of other players out there haven't made the conversion. Good Times is a 50-unit chain and we were able to move more quickly. We made sure the quality and taste of our food was not affected by the change. Consumers cannot tell the difference between trans fat and canola cooking oil."
Besides possibly causing cancer, trans fats increase the risk of coronary heart disease. This silent killer causes the hardening of arteries and its effects can be seen even in children, Clifford said.
"There is no certain recommendation for trans fats. Right now, we are recommending zero grams," Clifford said. "You should limit your intake amount. Having fast food once a month is not going to kill you or cause heart disease. Other places where trans fats tend to hang out are in baked goods, cookies, crackers and frozen entrees."
When eating fast food, Clifford recommends ordering smaller portions and having something healthy, such as a vegetable salad with light dressing, to balance out the rest of the meal.
Restaurants are starting to follow suit, Clifford said. Wendy's International Inc. has already started cooking with oils that are free of trans fats. KFC and Taco Bell, both owned by Yum Brand Inc., have announced they plan to do the same. Burger King Holdings Inc. and Starbucks Corp. are planning on implementing changes as well.
Good Times Restaurants Inc., a Colorado-based company, was one of the first restaurants to join Wendy's in the campaign against trans fats. The process to change to healthier cooking oils began in 2006. Good Times' decision was based on consumer input, said Nick Biegel, Good Times' director of purchasing.
"We decided to switch to cooking oil without trans fat because it was the right thing to do," Biegel said. "A lot of other players out there haven't made the conversion. Good Times is a 50-unit chain and we were able to move more quickly. We made sure the quality and taste of our food was not affected by the change. Consumers cannot tell the difference between trans fat and canola cooking oil."
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