Monday, October 30, 2006

More bang for bucking trans fats?

Does anyone truly think it was coincidental that KFC announced its switch to a trans-fat-free cooking oil in New York City, moments before the board of health opened hearings on a proposal to ban trans fats from restaurants? For that rare individual who probably believes pro-wrestling is real, consider that the chicken chain had shuttles on hand to haul reporters from its press announcement directly to the hearings.

That would also explain why it scheduled a press event for 9 a.m. on a Monday, traditionally a Dead Zone for the working press.

KC is swapping its partially hydrogenated oil for a trans-fat-free frying medium in all 5,500 of its units within the United States. The NYC ban would affect few of those stores, but other areas are quickly following the Big Apple’s lead in seeking to curtail consumption of trans fats, which are portrayed as a virtual toxin by coronary-health experts.

Although the New York announcement was carefully choreographed to coincide with the ban-proposal hearings, no connection was drawn to another relevant event, this one elsewhere within the KFC system. The chain’s Canadian operation disclosed at 3:01 a.m. on Monday that all 786 of its units would switch to trans-fat-free oil by early 2007. It did not specify precisely how early, but presumably KFC Canada will complete the overhaul before its U.S. counterpart, which pledged to make the changeover by April.

Why 3:01 a.m.? Maybe the operation realized that more journalists would be awake then than there would be at 9 a.m. on a Monday.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Blake Hardin said...

When jumping on the Trans Fat band wagon ( A good thing to do if living is something you would like to continue to do), it is important to know that "Hydrogenation = Trans Fats". If the ingredient label on a packaged food includes the word "Hydrogenated" or "Partially Hydrogented", then that food has Trans Fats PERIOD!

Additionally, the FDA has specific definitions for "No Trans" and "Zero Trans" These are not the same thing and both may still contain transfatty acids!
Bottom line, read the ingredients list on the label not the less-no-reduced-zero claims.

November 6, 2006 at 10:54 AM  
Anonymous Bob Dawson said...

KFC can get credit for not only switching their fryer oil, but also getting their Par Fried items such as popcorn chicken, done in a No Trans Oil also. They are leading the industry!

November 7, 2006 at 6:26 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

too bad the general public will never understand this issue, the only place we eat fried food is at restaurants, let's see restaurants and food producers take the trans out of everything we eat at home - will never happen.
good comment about the no trans - zero trans issue, 5 and less can still be labeled as no trans - misleading to the average bear.
I work in the cooking oil industry and this trans issue is a 90 waste of time at restaurants.

November 13, 2006 at 9:53 AM  

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