KFC Corp. is converting its 5,500 U.S. restaurants to trans-fat-free cooking oil.
After KFC made the announcement Oct. 30, the Center for Science in the Public Interest dropped its lawsuit against the chicken chain. In June, CSPI and a Washington law firm sued KFC over its use of partially hydrogenated oil. That firm will continue the lawsuit without CSPI.
The plaintiff, a doctor, seeks damages for not knowing his fried chicken contained trans-fats.
KFC joins Wendy's as the only major QSRs that have completely made the switch to trans-fat-free cooking oils.
"What are McDonald's and Burger King waiting for now?" CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson said in a news release. "If KFC, which deep-fries almost everything, can get the artificial trans-fat out of its frying oil, anyone can. Colonel Sanders deserves a bucket full of praise."
KFC's new oil, a low linolenic soybean oil, will replace the partially hydrogenated soybean oil in current use. The conversion, which follows more than two years of extensive testing of oil options to identify the same taste profile, has already begun in many KFC restaurants and is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2007 nationwide.
"We are pleased to announce KFC is switching to a zero trans-fat cooking oil for all of our fried products," said Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC Corp. "This conversion follows more than two years of extensive testing to identify an oil that provides all the same delicious taste as our original recipes with zero grams of trans-fat."
Dietary guidelines for Americans recommend minimizing the consumption of trans-fat as part of a healthy diet. As a result, the announcement by KFC was praised by leading health officials, including Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States.
"I congratulate KFC on their decision to switch to a zero trans-fat cooking oil," Carmona said. "Trans-fat has been shown to increase the risk for heart disease. The good news is that people can reduce their risk for heart disease through food choices and physical activity. I'm pleased that KFC is making significant changes to help Americans make healthier choices, and I encourage other companies to follow their lead."
