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The amount of trans fat in french fries from major fast-food chains is higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) on Monday released a report that details the amount of trans fat in french fries from five fast-food chains -- Burger King, KFC, Lotteria, McDonald's and Popeyes.
McDonald's french fries have the highest amount of trans fat with 1.6g per 100g, the KFDA report said. It was followed by Burger King and KFC with 1.3g, Popeyes with 1.0g and Lotteria with 0.7g.
Trans fat is regarded as a main culprit behind cardiovascular ailments like heart disease and stroke. The WHO and the American Heart Association recommend that daily trans fat intake should be less than one percent of total calories. That means the average Korean adult who eats 2,000 calories a day should intake no more than 2.2g of trans fat. By that standard, just one serving of McDonald's french fries is over the limit. A large serving of french fries (140g) from McDonald's has 2.24g of trans fat.
Cracking down on the artery clogger
Countries and cities around the world have been cracking down on trans fat. In 2004, Denmark banned the sale and distribution of all processed foods in which trans fat makes up more than 2 percent of contained fats, and by July the New York City government will have forced 20,000 restaurants to remove all trans fat from their products.
Korea has passed a law requiring food makers to label how much trans fat their food has by December, but that regulation only applies to breads, noodles and chocolates. Fast food chains and restaurants are not obligated to tell how much trans fat their food has.
Park Hye-kyung, a nutrition evaluation team leader with the KFDA, said, "Fast food restaurants have been prompted to voluntarily reduce their trans fat levels. In 2010, however, fast food chains will be forced to record trans fat levels on their labels."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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