• Ad Age, Wednesday, June 14, 2006 12:01 PM

Fast food marketer Kentucky Fried Chicken is the target of a lawsuit filed by a consumer group charging that the restaurant chain's food offerings are loaded with trans fats. The suit was filed in Washington, D.C. by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and asks the court to either bar KFC from using partially hydrogenated oil or at least post signs in KFC outlets notifying customers that many of its foods are "startlingly" high in trans fat. "CSPI would far prefer the trans-fat problem be solved through voluntary action by restaurants or regulatory action by the FDA, but neither industry nor government has acted," the group said in a statement. For its part, KFC is fighting back. "This is a frivolous lawsuit completely without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend our position," a KFC spokeswoman said. "All KFC products are safe to eat, and meet or exceed all government regulations, and we take health and safety issues very seriously. We provide a variety of menu choices and provide nutrition information, including trans-fat values, on our website and in our restaurants so consumers can make informed choices before they purchase our products."

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