Center for Science in the Public Interest Sues Burger King
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) this week filed suit against Burger King over its persistent use of trans fats in food preparation and its failure and refusal to disclose the trans fat content to consumers.
Although trans fats have long been believed to be more damaging to health than other kinds of fat, recently clear evidence has come to light demonstrating just how dangerous trans fats can be. The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 1% of calories from trans fat, or about 2 grams–but a single King-size serving of Burger King onion rings contains 6 grams of trans fat. According to CSPI, a sausage biscuit with a large order of hashed brown potatoes contains a whopping 18 grams–considerably more than one person should consume in a week.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, that’s not something to be taken lightly. Researchers say that increasing trans fat consumption by a mere 2% of calories increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease by as much as 23%.
CSPI says it’s contacted Burger King and made every effort to work with the chain to decrease and eventually remove trans fats from its menu or to disclose the trans fat content to consumers, but Burger King won’t disclose and will only agree to start phasing out trans fats at the end of 2008. Thus, CSPI has filed suit under the District of Columbia’s consumer protection statutes, alleging deceptive practices and a breach of the implied warranty of merchantability.
