Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins Ban Trans Fats
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Dunkin’ Donuts, the world’s largest coffee and baked-goods chain, and Baskin-Robbins shops will eliminate trans fats from their products because the artificial additives are linked to high cholesterol and health problems.
All 5,300 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in America will make the switch by October 15, following a trial at 400 shops in New York and Philadelphia, Dunkin’ Brands Inc., the owner of both units, said yesterday in a statement. Baskin-Robbins ice creams will have zero trans fats beginning in January, the company said.
Trans fatty acids increase the shelf life of items and some say make food taste better. Eating the additives raises so-called bad cholesterol, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, American health officials have said. McDonald’s Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc. are among several food chains to make the switch.
“This is a great indication that eliminating trans fats is feasible even in the tougher applications,” the executive director for the Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, said. “No one is noticing, and while donuts aren’t a health food, at least they’re healthier.”
Dunkin’ Brands, based in Canton, Mass., said it’s the first to introduce a doughnut with zero trans fat. In 2003, the company removed the additives from muffins and bagels. Bain Capital LLC, Carlyle Group, and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP bought Dunkin Brands for $2.43 billion in March 2006.
Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest chain of coffee shops, in May said it would eliminate all artificial trans fats in food and beverages sold at its stores in the continental America, Alaska, and Canada by the end of the year. It has reformulated some drinks, syrups, and baked goods over the past two years to cut out the trans fats, it said at the time.
Also in May, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. the world’s largest retailer, said it stopped using oil with trans fatty acids to prepare foods at its delicatessens.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. spokesman Brian Little didn’t return an e-mail or message left on his voice mail requesting information about the company’s trans fat policies.
