Wendy’s Will Switch to More Healthful Oil

Wendy’s International Inc. said Thursday that it would begin frying French fries and breaded chicken items with non-hydrogenated oil, aiming for more healthful choices for customers.

The country’s third-largest burger chain said the blend of corn and soy oil had zero grams of artery-clogging trans fat per serving and would cut trans fat in those menu items by 95%. Wendy’s will begin using the oil in its 6,300 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada in August.

“The trend is for a bit healthier,” said Lori Estrada, Wendy’s senior vice president for research and development. “We wanted to look at our products and improve our nutritional profile.”

Trans fat raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol and raises the risk of heart disease, research shows.

The new oil will reduce trans fat levels to zero grams for Wendy’s chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets and chicken strips. A large order of French fries will go from 7 grams to 0.5 grams, and an order of fries from the kids’ menu will have zero grams.

Wendy’s, based in Dublin, Ohio, said it was working to further reduce trans fat in fries that occurs when suppliers partially cook fries at their facilities before shipping them to restaurants.