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KFC Will Cut Trans Fat from Its Famous Recipe

KFC is phasing out trans fats and plans to use zero trans fat soybean oil for cooking of their Original Recipe and Extra Crispy fried chicken as well as other menu items. By April 2007, all KFC restaurants will have switched to soybean oil.
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KFC is phasing out trans fats and plans to use zero trans fat soybean oil for cooking of their Original Recipe and Extra Crispy fried chicken as well as other menu items. By April 2007, all KFC restaurants will have switched to soybean oil.

Taking the plunge, the fast-food chain KFC says it will phase out the use of unhealthy trans fats in its cooking oil. By next spring, the company's 5,500 restaurants will have made the transition.

Some worry that omitting trans fats -- a type of saturated fat identified as a major contributor to arterial disease -- may affect the food's taste -- and as a result, its business.

But some health-conscious customers demanded a change, which led to a two-year effort to figure out how to replace the oil without changing the signature flavor of KFC's "Original Recipe" chicken and other offerings.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Allison Aubrey is a correspondent for NPR News, where her stories can be heard on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. She's also a contributor to the PBS NewsHour and is one of the hosts of NPR's Life Kit.