http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/11/transfats.settlement.reut/index.html
Saturday, February 12, 2005 Posted: 1306 GMT (2106 HKT)
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- McDonald's has agreed to pay $8.5
million to settle a lawsuit over artery-clogging trans fats in its cooking
oils, the company said Friday.
McDonald's said it will donate $7 million to the American Heart Association
and spend another $1.5 million to inform the public of its trans fat plans.
The settlement is the result of litigation from a San Francisco-area
activist who has been seeking to raise public awareness of the health
dangers from the trans fatty acids (TFAs) in hydrogenated or partially
hydrogenated oils.
Trans fats are used in thousands of processed food products, often giving
the crunch to french fries, cookies and cereals.
They are created in processing vegetable oils and have been found to be as
unhealthy as pure cholesterol. The latest official U.S. nutrition
recommendations suggest limiting their intake.
"McDonald's has reached an agreement to further notify our customers about
the status of our ongoing initiative to reduce TFAs in our cooking oil," the
company said in a statement.
Stephen Joseph, a lawyer who founded the Web site BanTransFats, sued
McDonald's over complaints the firm did not properly inform the public that
it had encountered delays in plans to lessen the trans fats in its cooking
oils.
Joseph said his site would receive $7,500, as would another plaintiff in the
case.
"McDonald's has been successful in reducing TFA levels in our Chicken
McNuggets, Crispy Chicken Sandwich and McChicken Sandwich," the fast food
firm said. "McDonald's continues to work hard on our initiative to reduce
TFAs in our cooking oil."
British-born Joseph first gained publicity for his cause by suing Kraft
Foods two years ago to highlight the trans fat content of much-beloved Oreo
cookies. The company has since moved to remove trans fats from its snack
foods.
"While there is a difference of opinion regarding whether McDonald's gave
effective notice to its customers that the oil was not changed, McDonald's
deserves recognition and credit for having achieved a reduction in the trans
fat levels in its chicken products and for working diligently over the last
two years to test additional cooking oils," Joseph said in a statement.
Dunkin' Donuts, a unit of Britain's Allied Domecq Plc, and other companies
have in recent months introduced new products free of trans fats.