Feeling the pressure from health advocates, McDonald’s has been trying to eliminate trans fat in frying oil for quite some time now.? In January they announced that over 1200 of its franchises will be using a trans fat free oil.???
The Chicago Tribune reports, by early 2008 all 13,700 McDonald’s franchises in the U.S. will be cooking all their frie’s, chicken nuggets and other items in a vegetable oil blend.? Cargill did the scientific testing and blending of oils to find one that did not jeopardize the iconic nature of the french fry.? They tested 18 types of oil in more than 50 different blends over 7 years.? The new, “healthier” oil is a blend of canola, soybean and corn oils.?
Ram Reddy vice president and general manager for Cargill’s Napier office said, “We’re not going to turn the french fry into a health food, but it is going to be healthier.”
Healthier, let’s not jump to conclusions.? So instead of using partially hydrogenated oils, they’re going to use polyunsaturated oils.? These oils should never, ever be used in cooking, let alone frying.?
We have been force fed a load of crap concerning the virtues of polyunsaturated fats.? We’ve been told relentlessly that polyunsaturated fats are good for our health and to increase our consumption.? Unfortunately, polyunsaturated fats cause many health problems.? One of the biggest reasons polyunsaturated fats are so unhealthy is because they are very susceptible to becoming oxidized or rancid when exposed to heat and light.? The polyunsaturated oils you buy in grocery stores are already rancid.?
