The chicken kingpin, often mocked as a poster child of fast food’s nutritional negatives, on Monday will unveil plans to switch to a new soybean oil from a partially hydrogenated oil by April and eliminate the artery-clogging trans fats in its fried chicken sold in the USA.
The change in a major chain’s signature product makes this one of fast food’s most important concessions to the growing consumer demand for better-for-you eating. The chain, with 5,500 units in the USA, plans ultimately to make the same changes in its 8,600 locations outside the USA.
“This is an important milestone,” says Gregg Dedrick, KFC’s (YUM) president. “It has been a major focus for us.”
Monday’s news comes the same day the New York City Board of Health is to host a public hearing to consider a citywide ban on the sale of restaurant food made with trans fats. It also comes four months after the Center for Science in the Public Interest sued KFC, accusing it of failing to tell consumers about its trans fats.
Executive Director Michael Jacobson says his group is withdrawing its lawsuit. But he called the move “an important step in the right direction. It will give KFC a competitive edge.” Next, he says, KFC needs to reduce its “enormous” sodium levels.
U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said, in a statement, “KFC is making significant changes to help Americans make healthier choices. I encourage other companies to follow their lead.
No comments yet.