MIAMI Burger King said Thursday that all of its U.S. and Canadian restaurants were now cooking with trans-fat-free oil, and that by Nov. 1 its entire menu, including par-fried items, would be prepared with ingredients containing zero grams of trans fat.
Burger King said in a statement that its effort to go trans-fat-free was achieved by the transition to two proprietary blends of three oils.
Burger King announced in late 2006 that it was testing low-trans-fat frying oils. On Thursday, Burger King officials said many of its restaurants had been using trans-fat-free oils for months, and that customer feedback indicated menu items cooked in the new oil tasted the same or better.
Last summer, the Center for Science in the Public Interest criticized Burger King for still serving French fries in New York City that contained "more trans fat than is safe to consume in an entire day." The remarks were based on a study the group conducted in the city, which had recently banned the use of partially hydrogenated oils, margarines and shortening in restaurants.
CSPI noted at the time that the fries at Burger King had less trans fat than before and suggested that chain's suppliers were still par-frying the food in partially hydrogenated oils.
According to Burger King's statement on Thursday, all menu items, including par-fried foods, preportioned items and baked goods, would be made with trans-fat-free ingredients by next month.
Burger King operates or franchises more than 11,500 restaurants worldwide.