 KFC Sued for Fouling Chicken with Partially Hydrogenated Oil
Quote: Lawsuit Aimed at Eliminating, or Disclosing Use of Artery-Clogging Frying Oil
WASHINGTON--See you in court, Colonel Sanders.
That's the message delivered today to KFC, a unit of Louisville, KY-based Yum! Brands, by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Today that group and the Washington, DC, law firm of Heideman Nudelman & Kalik, P.C., filed suit against the fast-food giant over its use of partially hydrogenated oil--the chemically altered, trans-fat-laden oil that kills roughly 50,000 Americans per year. The class action suit, filed in Superior Court of the District of Columbia, asks that the court prohibit KFC from using partially hydrogenated oil, or that at the very least, signs be posted in KFC outlets notifying customers that many KFC foods are high in trans fat.
"Grilled, baked, or roasted chicken is a healthy food-and even fried chicken can be trans-fat-free," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "But coated in breading and fried in partially hydrogenated oil, this otherwise healthy food becomes something that can quite literally take years off your life. KFC knows this, yet it recklessly puts its customers at risk of a Kentucky Fried Coronary."
Meals at KFC can be startlingly high in trans fat. Besides chicken, KFC's biscuits, potato wedges, pot pie, and several desserts all contain hefty amounts of trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil. Just one Extra Crispy breast has 4.5 grams of trans fat. A large order of Popcorn Chicken has 7 grams of trans fat, and KFC's Pot Pie contains 14 grams of trans. A typical 3-piece Extra Crispy combo meal, with a drumstick, two thighs, potato wedges, and a biscuit has a staggering 15 grams of trans fat-more trans fat than an individual should consume in a week.
The plaintiff in the case is retired physician Arthur Hoyte, of Rockville, Maryland. He had purchased fried chicken at KFC outlets in Washington, DC, and elsewhere, not knowing that KFC fries in partially hydrogenated oil.
"If I had known that KFC uses an unnatural frying oil, and that their food was so high in trans fat, I would have reconsidered my choices," said Dr. Hoyte. "I am bringing this suit because I want KFC to change the way it does business. And I'm doing it for my son and others' kids-so that they may have a healthier, happier, trans-fat-free future."
Once thought to be innocuous, trans fat is now known to be more harmful than saturated fat, since it simultaneously raises one's LDL cholesterol, which promotes heart disease, and lowers one's HDL cholesterol, which protects against it. Small amounts of trans fat occur naturally in beef and milk, but almost 80 percent of Americans' trans fat comes from partially hydrogenated oils. The new trans-fat labeling requirement for packaged foods, has encouraged numerous manufacturers to switch to non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Restaurants have been much slower to act. McDonald's famously promised to reduce trans fat in cooking oil in 2002, though it quietly reneged on that promise in 2003. In 2004, California trial attorney Stephen Joseph filed a lawsuit against McDonald's over its broken promise, which the company settled in 2005 by agreeing to pay $7 million to the American Heart Association. McDonald's still has not changed its oil.
Just last week, the Wendy's fast-food chain announced it was switching to a non-hydrogenated mixture of corn and soybean oil in its deep-fryers, making its fried foods virtually trans-fat-free. Among major table-service chain restaurants, the 700-outlet Ruby Tuesday chain has dumped partially hydrogenated oil (in favor of canola oil). While many fast-food chains have added more healthful items to their menus, KFC's highest profile nutrition gambit was an ill-conceived and widely ridiculed ad campaign designed to portray KFC fried chicken as a weight-loss aid and health food. Those ads-which Jacobson said "took the truth, dipped it in batter, and deep-fried it"--were pulled after CSPI filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
There's more to this article here: http://www.cspinet.net/new/200606121.html | I think this is a pretty interesting web site. It's called The Center For Science in the Public Interest. Check out their list of "Ten Foods You Should Never Eat". http://www.cspinet.net/nah/10foods_bad.html
Here's number 3: Quote: |
Each slice of The Cheesecake Factory's 6 Carb Original Cheesecake has 610 calories – that's only 20 calories less than you'd get from a slice of their Original Cheesecake. Think of it as an 8-ounce prime rib for dessert – with 29 grams of saturated fat, 11/2 days' supply. The next time you step on the bathroom scale, you may never know that the carbs were missing.
| Man, I would have eaten a slice of this back when I was doing Atkins! That's still a lot of calories to be consuming and just for a dessert!  |
06-24-2006
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