Group tackles McDonalds over trans fat promise

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Group tackles McDonalds over trans fat promise

 

 

01/10/2004 - A US consumer group has come down heavily on fast-food

giant McDonalds claiming the firm has failed to fulfill promises to

eliminate artery clogging trans fats from foods.

 

Running a full-page ad in The New York Times this week, the Center for

Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urged McDonalds to complete a

promise it made in 2002 to stop frying in partially hydrogenated

vegetable oil (PHO).

 

Pressure is mounting on food industry players to remove trans fatty

acids (TFAs) from food formulations due to ongoing research that

suggests trans fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, causing the

arteries to become more rigid and clogged. An increase in LDL

cholesterol levels can lead to heart disease.

 

" America's favorite French fries are about to get even better, "

claimed McDonald's in a 2002 press release announcing that the company

would reformulate its cooking oil with less trans fat.

 

In 2003, the fast-food firm issued a statement that said it would

" extend the timeframe " for the change, which has not yet occurred.

McDonald's is currently being sued in California by BanTransFat.com,

for misleading the public about the abandoned switch.

 

Formed when liquid vegetable oils go through a chemical process called

hydrogenation, TFAs are common in a range of food products – biscuits,

chips, doughnuts, crackers. Hydrogenated vegetable fat is used by food

processors because it is solid at room temperature and has a longer

shelf life.

 

But a raft of manufacturers are switching to non-trans fat

alternatives. Kraft foods said earlier this year that it had launched

a trans fat free version of its iconic Oreo biscuit. The move followed

a court case against Kraft's owner Nabisco – which attracted massive

media attention in the US - whereby BanTransFats called on the firm to

remove the biscuits from sale because of the harm trans fats could

cause to children. Swiss food behemoth Nestle is also working to

reduce trans fat presence.

 

" We have taken the decision to reduce trans fats levels to less than 1

per cent of total food energy, the level recommended by the World

Health Organisation, " a spokesperson from the firm recently told

FoodNavigator.com.

 

From January 2006 food manufacturers working in the US market will

have to label trans fat content on food products. Europe has yet to

introduce a similar rule, but consumer organisations are pressing for

such transparency.

 

Last year Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce

restrictions on the use of industrially produced trans fatty acids.

Oils and fat are now forbidden on the Danish market if they contain

trans fatty acids exceeding 2 per cent.