Mid-Michigan Dining

According to this AP article, McDonald’s has finally replaced it’s oil with a trans-fat free oil.

McDonald’s has lagged other restaurant operators in switching over to a zero-trans-fat cooking oil out of worries it would compromise the taste of its trademark fries. It has been under increasing pressure from consumer advocates and some public officials to make the change.

The new oil is canola-based and includes corn and soy oils.

CEO Jim Skinner told shareholders at the annual meeting at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., that the new oil has been in use in U.S. restaurants for a few months now for french fries, hash browns, chicken, filet of fish and biscuits.

I’m not a huge McDonald’s eater, but when I do need fast food, I usually look for a McDonald’s.  I do like the taste of their fries.  Obviously, I’m not expecting a fast food places to cut potatos (even though Arby’s and Hardees leave the skin on their fries).  It was just in 2002 that McDonald’s thought they were doing something good by switching from beef tallow to a healthier fat with less trans-fat.  Now, six years later, they’ve been forced to switch again.

The problem with this whole situation is….who goes to McDonald’s for healthy fries?  You know what you’re getting into when you pull up to the drive through.  McDonald’s or any restaurant shouldn’t be forced to change their menu by anyone other than the shareholders or owners.  When you start changing ingredients, you start messing with taste.  Taste is the most imortant thing in any food and it shouldn’t be determined by a bunch of do-gooding hippies.