TRANS FAT NEWS
October - December 2006
TRANS FAT NEWS
1 JANUARY 2007
STOP TRANS FAT, a campaign to create greater consumer awareness
about the extreme harm of trans fats, was launched in Singapore
by Richard Seah, a writer with special interest in natural health.
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This page keeps you updated about developments involving trans fats around the world. If you know of important developments that are not listed here, please inform me and I will include here.
I am especially interested in developments outside the US, since there is not much information about such developments on the Internet. Click here to email me.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 29 December 2006
Universal Studios announced that it will be eliminating trans fats from their park menus, following an earlier announcement by The Walt Disney Company in October.
Universal Studios made the first phase of the switch on Christmas Eve. Over 90 percent of the foods at Universal Studios locations are now cooked in trans fat free oils. Remaining food items will be trans fat free by end-2007.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 15 December 2006
Los Angeles and Philadelphia said they are considering legislation to restrict or ban the use of trans-fats in restaurants. These announcements come after Washington State announced a similar plan earlier this week and New York City approved a ban on 5 December. .
Los Angeles has formed a committee to study the feasibility of a ban on trans fats and given it 45 days to make their recommendation. If enacted, a ban would affect all of Los Angeles County. Following the example New York, Los Angeles is also considering additional legislation that will require fast food restaurants to post nutritional data on their menus.
Philadelphia is seriously considering a ban on trans fats that will take effect in 2008. Their proposal would include all food service venues but would exempt food manufacturers as well as processed food that is served in its original packaging.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 13 December 2006
Washington State announced that it would spend the next several months conducting studies on the feasibility of a ban on trans fats. The Washington State Board of Health and Public Health commended the New York Board of Health for its recent decision toban trans fats, saying it is "a step in the right direction and is boosting awareness of the ingredient's link to heart disease and stroke."
Many restaurants and smaller food chains in Seattle, the capital city of Washington State, have already shifted to trans-fat free products, or are in the process of doing so.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 5 December 2006
New York City became the first US city to ban the use trans fats at restaurants, fast food chains and other food service establishments. Members of the NYC Board of Health voted unanimously for the ban.
Restaurants will have until July 2007 to switch to trans-fat free frying oils – and until July 2008 to remove all trans-fats from their food.
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Arby's a US fast-food chain, announced that it will eliminate trans fats from its French fries by May 2007. The chain's new fries will be cooked in non-hydrogenated corn oil, that contains zero grams of trans fats.
Arby's said over 70 percent of its menu items will contain 0.5 grams or less of trans fats by May 2007.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 16 November 2006
Taco Bell said its more than 4,200 single brand US restaurants will switch to frying with a new canola oil that contains zero trans fats. The switch has already been completed in more than 100 restaurants and all Taco Bell restaurants in the US will use the new oil by April 2007.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 8 November 2006
McDonald's said its 6,300 European restaurants will begin using cooking oils that cut trans-fat levels to no more than 2 percent of the total.
The changeover, expected to be completed by mid-2008, involves switching to canola and/or sunflower oils. Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are to be the first European countries to get the new cooking oils.
McDonald's added that oil suppliers have been asked not to use genetically modified products or ingredients.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 2 November 2006
Wendy's, the fast foods chain which announced in August that it had completed the switch to a new cooking oil that significantly cuts trans fats, has encountered problems.
Consumer Reports a US magazine, said it analysed samples of large servings of french fries from three Wendy's restaurants in Westchester County, New York, and found that they contained an average of 2.5 grams trans fats, much more than the 0.5 grams per serving claimed by Wendy's.
Consumer Reports had purchased the fries in early Septemebr and, to double check its findings, analysed fries purchased from the same restaurants at end-September.
However, the good news is tha the level of trans fats was much lower than the 7 grams tested before Wendy's changed its cooking oil.
When asked by Consumer Reports about the findings, Wendy's representatives said the company had rigorously tested and analyzed the fat content of its fries working with an independent lab.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a Wendy's spokesman said its measurements were more reliable because its "far more extensive" testing was of samples from 12 french-fry suppliers, done by an independent lab and a cooking-oil supplier. The spokesman said Wendy's plans to test fries from all its Westchester restaurants to explain the discrepancy.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 30 October 2006
KFC / Kentucky Fried Chicken announced that they will begin eliminating trans fats from its 5,500 restaurangs in the US, starting with their fried chicken.By April of 2007, all KFC US stores will switch to using a non-hydrogenated cooking oil, although some locations already use it.
The company said it will be using low linolenic soybean oil.
KFC also owns other fast food companies, including Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The parent company of KFC, Yum Brands Inc., say that they are looking into replacing partially hydrogenated oils on their menus, as well.
McDonald's Australia started cooking with oil that is virtually free of trans fats. The new oil, a blend of canola and high oleic sunflower oil, is now being used in all 740 restaurants across the country.
The change would remove more than 415 tonnes of trans fat from the Australian food supply, a spokesman for McDonalds Australia said,
Burger King and Popeye's announced initiatives to eliminate trans fats.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 26 October 2006
Chicago Councilman Edward M. Burke has proposed legislation to make fast food places and other restaurants post warnings about trans fats. The legislation is targeted at large companies and only applies to companies that have a gross annual income of $20 million or more.
The new proposal comes as an earlier proposal to bad trans fats completely does not look like it will get adequate support.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 24 October 2006
The Australian government announced that it has established a National Collaboration on Trans Fats aimed at reducing the presence in trans fat food sold in Australia.
TRANS FAT NEWS : 16 October 2006
Walt Disney Company announced that it would eliminate trans fats from the food at their theme parks, as well as in any Disney-licensed food products.
The company also said it would be will be instituting a new set of guidelines to make its foods healthier. These include:
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- Placing a limit on total calories, resulting in smaller portions
- Limiting the fat content to 30 percent of calories for entrees and side dishes, and 35 percent for snacks.
- Limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of calories for main dishes, side dishes and snacks.
- Limiting sugar to 10 percent of calories for main dishes and side dishes, and 25 percent of calories for snacks.
Disney will eliminate trans fats by 2008. It will gradually phase in the other health guidelines over the next few years.
Click here to read trans fat news from January to September 2006.
