Wendy's slims down its menu

CHICAGO - Wendy's International said today it would significantly cut artery-clogging "trans fats" from its menu, beating market leader McDonald's, which still has not made good on its promise to remove the fats from french fries in the United States.

Wendy's, the No 3 US burger chain, said its restaurants in the United States and Canada will switch to a new blend of corn and soy oil for french fries and breaded chicken items starting in August.

The switch will make Wendy's the first national hamburger chain to use non-hydrogenated oil.

The move will reduce trans fats in french fries to just zero to 0.5 grams, depending on serving sizes, while all of the breaded chicken products will have zero grams of trans fats.

Wendy's, based in Dublin, Ohio, said it has been working on the switch for a year and is already testing the new cooking oil in more than 370 restaurants in Florida, North Carolina, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada.

The change comes as restaurants face increased scrutiny for their high-calorie, high-fat fare. A recent report funded by the US Food and Drug Administration said that restaurants can help prevent obesity by offering and promoting more low-calorie, healthy items.

Wendy's said using a non-hydrogenated oil reduces saturated fats in its breaded chicken and french fries an average of 20 per cent. A spokesman said the switch to the new oil, made by Cargill, does not significantly change the calorie content of the foods.

Kerrii Anderson, Wendy's interim chief executive officer, said the changes were being made "without jeopardising the great taste our customers expect." Hydrogenation, or the addition of hydrogen atoms, solidifies liquid fats, increases shelf life and stabilises flavour. Trans fats, which have been hydrogenated, have increased levels of a kind of cholesterol that significantly raises the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke.

McDonald's famously announced in 2002 that it planned to

reduce trans fats in its french fries, but so far has failed to live up to that promise as it has yet to come up with an alternative that the company thinks has an acceptable taste.

In May, McDonald's chief executive James Skinner conceded the company should not have announced the plan before having an alternative in place.

McDonald's said in a statement on Thursday that is it is still working "diligently" on ways to reduce the level of trans fatty acids in its fries.

Burger King Holdings Inc, the second-largest US burger chain, has been evaluating low trans fat and trans fat free oils for about a year and a half, a spokeswoman said.

"Our concern, which is based on testing, is the flavour of the product. Right now we're considering several options," she said.

A large order of french fries at Wendy's had 7 grams of trans fats, and will now have 0.5 grams with the new blended oil. An order of chicken strips, which had 3 grams of trans fats, will have zero grams.

The servings of nuggets and french fries in its kids' meals will have zero grams of trans fat once the switch is made.

Wendy's said it is working with french-fry suppliers to further cut the amount of trans fats that occur as part of the preparation at their facilities, with a goal of zero grams.

The announcement comes just a week after Wendy's added two healthier choices, a yogurt and granola cup and Baked Lay's potato chips, as options for its combo meals in lieu of fries.

Combo meals at fast-food chains typically come with french fries as a side dish. Wendy's began offering lower-calorie side salads, baked potatoes and chili as options on its combo menu in December 2004.

- REUTERS