Another food retailer says it is enlisting in the battle against trans fats. Starbuck Coffee said that effective immediately, it will stop using the artery-clogging ingredient in its muffins, donuts and other pastries.
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The trans fat ban will only affect half the chain's U.S. stores in the near term, with the rest of the stores joining the ban later in the year.
Trans fats are vegetable oils that have been processed to turn them into solids. They are often used in baked goods, not to enhance taste but to provide texture. Large scale food producers favor them because they are also cheaper.
Beginning Wednesday, Starbucks stores in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, will have zero trans fats in their food.
Starbucks joins a growing number of food chains that are bowing to pressure from health advocates to stop using trans fats.
Wendy's has switched to a non-hydrogenated oil that will be used in its restaurants. McDonalds has announced no specific date, but is known to be experimenting with alternative oils.
All restaurant chains will soon have to come up with alternatives. New York City has approved a ban on trans fats in its 22,000 restaurants and several other large cities are considering such a ban.
Health advocates have warned for years against eating food with trans fat. They say the re-engineered oils raise LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol, and lowers HDL, the "good" cholesterol.
Studies have shown that consuming as little five grams of trans fat a day over several years leads to a number of cardiovascular ailments, increasing the liklihood of developing heart disease by 25 percent.
