KFC Sued for Fouling Chicken with Partially Hydrogenated Oil
A nutrition advocacy group sued KFC on Tuesday to get it to stop using partially hydrogenated oils, a key ingredient of its fried chicken. The oils contain trans fats, which scientists consider the most unhealthful of all fats. The plaintiff, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which frequently criticizes the food industry and the government, seeks to have the District of Columbia Superior Court either ban use of the oils in KFC’s cooking or force the company to post signs telling customers that its food contains trans fat and can cause heart disease.
Suddenly, fast food is in the news…and not because purveyors of artery-clogging pseudo-food have seen the light about the health effects of their wares. No, with Wendy’s making purely semantic changes when it comes to their drink sizes, it’s clear that the bottom line is far more important than the occasional clogged artery or heart disease.
Most Americans don’t understand- and frankly don’t much care- about trans fats, which are generally considered to be the least healthy of oils. The problem is that trans fats impart that distinct fast food taste to the menu items that Americans love so much. In the short term, Americans much prefer taste and immediate gratification to thinking about any potential delterious long-term effects. Trans fats are also the easiest, most cost-efficient way for fast food companies to prepare the foods the sell to millions of Americans every day- which is why th ey’ve been so resistant to change. Yes, what a shock; it all comes down to the bottom line
Now, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (to the food industry what the ACLU is to the GOP) has stepped into the fray, suing KFC for continuing to use trans fats despite the fact that KFC, and indeed the entire industry, are well aware of the health effects of trans fats.
KFC’s reaction: to dismiss CSPI’s suit as “completely without merit.” Yeah, I know; whodathunkit?? KFC’s fall-back position (paraphrased) is “Hey, we provide numerous menu options, we provide nutrition information to consumers, so if they continue to choose unhealthy meals, tha’t not on us.” Hey, as long as you’re making a decent return for shareholders (some of whom you’re slowly but surely killing), you’re covered, eh?
About 80 percent of trans fats in the American diet come from partially hydrogenated oil. Trans fats became a part of fast-food meals in the 1980s, after consumer groups demanded that the chains stop frying in beef tallow and palm oils because those products are highly saturated. The hazards of trans fats were not widely realized until years later. Now they are considered more harmful than saturated fat.
Despite warnings that partially hydrogenated oils are the most likely to clog arteries, many fast-food restaurants say they have had a hard time finding more healthful oils that can withstand high temperatures.
KFC was chosen for this suit, said Michael F. Jacobson, the group’s executive director, because it is the second-largest fast-food chain in the world, after McDonald’s, and because its meals have far more trans fats than those at burger chains. A three-piece Extra Crispy combo chicken dinner, with biscuit and potato wedge, contains 15 grams of trans fats.
By contrast, federal dietary guidelines issued last year recommended that people consume less than 1 percent of their calories from trans fats, or less than 2 grams a day.
Of course, you cannot legislate health, nor can you create it via litigation, but that is not what CSPI is attempting to do here. What they’re trying to do is to hold KFC accountable for providing menu options the company knows are prepared in an unhealthy manner. Certainly, Americans are free to eat as they see fit; this is still (nominally) a free country. Yes, Americans should choose healthier options, but you can’t sue people for making poor diet choices. However, when companies knowingly use ingredients proven to significantly increase the risk of heart disease, they ought to be held accountable. Consumers deserve to know that companies are not going to value the Almighty Dollar over the health of their customers. Unfortunately, since companies will not normally take that step on their own, it too often falls to watchdogs like CSPI to call them to account.
Think about that the next time you’re ordering that bucket of Extra Crispy….
