• October 31, 2006

As hearings began in New York City on the proposed ban on all trans fats in city restaurants, KFC officially announced it will drop trans fatty cooking oils by April 2007. The company said it will switch to a form of soybean oil that is completely trans fat free. "People who eat fried chicken don't walk up to the counter and ask about the oil they're using," said John Stanton, professor of food marketing at St. Joseph's University. "All food companies serve multiple stakeholders, including the government and public opinion. KFC is responding to public opinion that trans fat is just one step above anthrax."

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which sued KFC last spring over the trans fat content of its food, announced Monday that it was withdrawing from the lawsuit. "Colonel Sanders deserves a bucketful of praise," said CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson. "If KFC, which deep-fries almost everything, can get the artificial trans fat out of its frying oil, anyone can."