4 ms·

Yes, in the 1980s most fast-food outlets have switched to trans fats over night due to being attacked in the media for using fats of animal origin.

juziozd 11y ago
They switched to vegetable oils, not to trans fats.
- healsdata 11y ago
  Hydrogenated vegetables oils are the primary source of artificial trans fats in food. And McDonald's themselves readily admits they used to use trans fats in their fryers. > For example, we switched to a cooking oil in our restaurants that reduced artificial trans fat in most of our fried menu items > The fast-food giant already has demonstrated that it can eliminate trans fats when required. In Denmark, the company switched the oil it uses to make French fries to one that doesn't have any trans fat. 1. http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/are-your-products-made-with-trans-fat.html http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/are-y... 2. http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-12-06/why-mcdonalds-isnt-free-of-trans-fatbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-12-06/why-mcdonalds...
derekp7 11y ago
While true, this phrasing may be a bit misleading. The concern at the time was that saturated fats were bad, and unsaturated fats were not as bad. But the unsaturated fats (think regular vegetable oil) is liquid at room temperature instead of a gel, and has different cooking characteristics. But the process of hydrogenation turns that liquid (at room temp) oil into a form that is closer to the traditional animal fat oils (i.e., lard). It also happens that the hydrogenation produces as a byproduct a small amount of trans fat contamination (this was never the goal, to produce trans fats -- it is a hard to avoid side effect of hydrogenation). And at the time, the trans fats byproducts weren't thought to be as harmful as saturated fats, esp since they make up such a low percentage of the overall product. Of course, now science knows more, and corrections are being made. Edit: Is my understanding above correct? I.e., is it the goal of hydrogenation to produce a more solid form of oil, and the trans fats are a byproduct? Or is it the trans fats that actually solidifies the oil?
- cbr 11y ago
  I.e., is it the goal of hydrogenation to produce a more solid form of oil, and the trans fats are a byproduct? Yes.

juziozd 11y ago

They switched to vegetable oils, not to trans fats.

healsdata 11y ago
Hydrogenated vegetables oils are the primary source of artificial trans fats in food. And McDonald's themselves readily admits they used to use trans fats in their fryers. > For example, we switched to a cooking oil in our restaurants that reduced artificial trans fat in most of our fried menu items > The fast-food giant already has demonstrated that it can eliminate trans fats when required. In Denmark, the company switched the oil it uses to make French fries to one that doesn't have any trans fat. 1. http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/are-your-products-made-with-trans-fat.html http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/are-y... 2. http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-12-06/why-mcdonalds-isnt-free-of-trans-fatbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-12-06/why-mcdonalds...

derekp7 11y ago

While true, this phrasing may be a bit misleading. The concern at the time was that saturated fats were bad, and unsaturated fats were not as bad. But the unsaturated fats (think regular vegetable oil) is liquid at room temperature instead of a gel, and has different cooking characteristics. But the process of hydrogenation turns that liquid (at room temp) oil into a form that is closer to the traditional animal fat oils (i.e., lard). It also happens that the hydrogenation produces as a byproduct a small amount of trans fat contamination (this was never the goal, to produce trans fats -- it is a hard to avoid side effect of hydrogenation). And at the time, the trans fats byproducts weren't thought to be as harmful as saturated fats, esp since they make up such a low percentage of the overall product. Of course, now science knows more, and corrections are being made. Edit: Is my understanding above correct? I.e., is it the goal of hydrogenation to produce a more solid form of oil, and the trans fats are a byproduct? Or is it the trans fats that actually solidifies the oil?

cbr 11y ago
I.e., is it the goal of hydrogenation to produce a more solid form of oil, and the trans fats are a byproduct? Yes.