Burger King takes fast-food trans fat crown; Ottawa threatens regulations

Colin Perkel, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - Popular restaurant chain Burger King has gained the dubious distinction of having the highest levels of artery-clogging, obesity-inducing trans fats in its french fries, chicken nuggets and other meals compared with its fast-food peers, according to federal data released Thursday.

The detailed, groundbreaking data are from Health Canada testing of leading-brand prepackaged foods such as cookies and frozen potatoes, as well as favourite treats from selected restaurants.

"Burger King seems to have been crowned in this data as the king of trans fats," said Sally Brown, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

"Not all companies are reducing them in all products, but Burger King isn't reducing them in any products."

Low-cost trans fats provide taste and texture to a wide range of foods and are used for frying, but they are also maligned for increasing levels of bad cholesterol and lowering those of good cholesterol.

As such, they pose a serious long-term health risk.

"Trans fats are unsafe at virtually any quantity," said Rocco Rossi, who heads the foundation's Ontario arm.

"We are facing an unprecedented crisis in terms of rising rates of obesity, rising rates of childhood obesity that will lead to untold misery for countless Canadians in the future."

Last year, a federal task force recommended trans fats make up no more than five per cent of total fat content in all foods, including restaurant servings. A two per cent limit applied to edible oils and spreadable margarines.

Burger King exceeded those levels by between four and almost nine times in products ranging from chicken nuggets and french fries to apple turnovers and fish filets. For example, the chain's chicken nuggets contain almost 20 per cent fat, of which more than one-third is trans fat.

In response, Burger King Restaurants of Canada called it "one of the highest priorities" for the company to make its restaurants free of added trans fat by the end of next year, starting in Calgary on Jan. 1.

"The company has also identified trans fat-free, par-fry and baked-good solutions for our products, and is currently testing these products as well," Burger King said in a statement.

When it comes to another Canadian staple, chocolate doughnuts, companies such as Tim Hortons have cut trans fats sharply, but replaced them with saturated fats, which are only slightly less harmful to heart health.

Three-quarters of consumers are aware of the harmful effects of trans fats and will try to avoid them, a foundation survey suggests.

"We're able to vote with our mouths, as well as with our feet and our wallets," said federal Health Minister Tony Clement.

In June, the federal government asked food makers to lower trans fats to those levels recommended by the task force.

If the industry fails to meet the task-force recommendations by June 2009, Clement said, Ottawa will force them to.

In the interim, the data available on the Health Canada website should help consumers make better food-buying decisions and manufacturers reconsider their ingredients.

"There is a huge shaming element," said Brown, who was co-chairwoman of the task force.

Dave Dzisiak of Calgary-based Dow AgroSciences said omega-9 oil from crushed canola, which is plentiful in Canada, is an excellent substitute for trans and saturated fats.

"It's got all the functionality of these hydrogenated oils but it has the good health properties and the good functional properties that the food companies need," Dzisiak said.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/gras-trans-fats/tfa-age_e.html#10

© The Canadian Press, 2007