Taking Trans Fats off the Menu

While Applebee’s is the latest to join the list of U.S. restaurants phasing out trans fats from their menus, Burger King has been slapped with a lawsuit from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the same group that sued McDonald’s and KFC over their use of trans fats. The CSPI withdrew its lawsuit from KFC when the fast-food company subsequently announced its intention to phase out harmful trans fats from its fried chicken.

According to the CSPI, a sausage biscuit and large hash browns from Burger King contains a whopping 18 grams of trans fats—about nine days’ worth of trans fats in one breakfast. How quickly will Burger King find an acceptable replacement for its hydrogenated oils? If it can comply in soon-to-be-trans-fat-free New York City and Philadelphia, then it surely won’t be too long. And if McDonalds’s can do it …

In the meantime, the legal clock is ticking.

More on Trans Fats

• What are Trans Fats?
• Good Fats, Bad Fats
• Hydrogenated Fats
• Quiz on Trans Fats