Research/Infomation

In recent times Marks and Spencers have stopped using all hydrogenated fats/trans fats in all of their take away products. In the future they have said they want to ban them from all of the foods.

"We know that consumers are concerned about additives and believe we are

 well ahead of any other retailer in terms of removing additives from all our

 foods" 

"Having removed artificial colourings, artificial flavourings and hydrogenated fats

from all our ready meals, we are now actively working to remove hydrogenated fat

from all our food products, including confectionery" 

Guy Farrant, director of food Marks an Spencer

McDonald’s and Trans Fats

 

In September 2002, McDonald’s announced its intention to drastically reduce the amount of trans fats in its cooking oil by February 2003. By 2006, McDonald’s had managed to cut the amount of trans fat in its chicken products by about 15 percent, but the company had yet to find a suitable alternative fat for its coveted fries, one that didn’t fundamentally alter the taste.

 

For allegedly not keeping the public informed of its progress, McDonald’s was sued by BanTransFats.com, the group that sued Kraft Foods, which went on to produce trans-fat-free varieties of Oreo cookies. To settle the suit, McDonald’s agreed to pay $7m to the American Heart Association, and spend a further $1.5m to keep the public informed about reducing trans fats.

 

Eventually, McDonald's announced in early 2007 that it had begun using a trans-fat-free oil in 1,200 of its 13,700 restaurants, with the rest to follow suit.

 

Disappearing Trans Fats

 

New York City’s Board of Health voted unanimously in December 2006 to ban trans fats in all its 24,000 restaurants, from high-end eateries to fast-food joints, becoming the first city in the United States to impose such a ban. Restaurants will be banned from using most oils containing artificial trans fats by July 2007, and artificial trans fats  were eliminated from all its foods by July 2008.