McDonald's to phase in trans-fat-free oil in U.S., Canada

Fast-food chain McDonald's has secured a new oil, free of artery-clogging trans fats, the company said Monday.

McDonald's is not saying when it plans on introducing the oil to all of its restaurants, but spokesman Walt Riker said the new oil is being used in more than 1,200 of the company's 13,700U.S. restaurants.

"We can confirm that we've got the right oil," Riker said. "We're phasing it in."

Company officials said the newcanola-based oil also incorporates corn and soy oils.

Ron Christianson, a spokesman for McDonald's Canada, says the oil will be introduced to restaurants in Canada, but the company was not able to provide a timeframe, noting the rollout was dependent on the availability of the oil.

Officials with McDonald's Canada last year announced they were delaying posting nutrition information on their food wrappers because they could not secure a sustainable supply of trans-fat-free cooking oil.

Trans fats raise the levels of low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol in the body and can lead to clogged arteries and heart disease. Trans fats, initially believed to be a cheaper and healthier alternative to butter and lard, are created when liquid oils are turned into solids.

Latest of group

McDonald's is the latest restaurant to cut trans fats from its menus. Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell announced last year that they were trimming trans fats from their menus while coffeehouse Starbucks said in January it plans on eliminating trans fats in baked goods in company-owned stores by the second half of 2007.

A&W also said it was revising its menu, offering items with no or low levels of trans fats.

Late last year, McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner said the delay was based on finding an appropriate oil that could provide the same cooking and taste qualities.

"It's just taking a little bit of time because as we move forward we don't want to jeopardize the iconic nature of the french fry, which as you know is so very important to our brand," Skinner said.

In June 2006, Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada chaired a joint task force on the issue of trans fat, noting that 22 per cent of the average trans-fat intake is provided by foods consumed away from home, usually in fast-food restaurants.