NEW YORK (Reuters) - KFC on Monday said all 5,500 of its U.S. fried-chicken restaurants will switch to a cooking oil with no trans fat by the end of next April.

The company, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., is also switching oils at its 786 restaurants in Canada.

With fast-food restaurants under increasing criticism that they contribute to obesity and the risk of heart disease, KFC joins hamburger chain Wendy's International Inc. in cutting out artery-clogging trans fats.

Many local governments, including New York City's, are looking at banning trans fats.

KFC said using the new oil would mean there were no trans fats in any of its fried foods -- about 65 menu items in the United States, comprising 80 percent of its menu. The company is also working on removing trans fats from items such as biscuits, which are not fried.

KFC restaurants in many other countries, including China, already use a more healthful oil.

"And if they don't already use (the zero trans-fat cooking oil), they're working on it now," said company spokeswoman Laurie Schalow.

McDonald's Corp., the world's largest restaurant chain, promised in 2002 to reduce trans fats in some of its products. While the chain has introduced healthier foods -- such as apple and walnut salads -- it has yet to convert its oils entirely, saying it has not found an alternative that works as well.

KFC said that after a two-year trial of various cooking oils, it settled on low linolenic soybean oil, a zero trans-fat cooking oil, to replace partially hydrogenated soybean oil in its U.S. restaurants

Reuters

Good for KFC!

NOW all they have to do is to start killing the Chickens humanely.

Google 'KFC Kill Chickens inhumanely'.

It will open your eyes......and you will never eat KFC again if you are anything like me!