KFC Trans-Fat Lawsuit Dropped

The AP reported yesterday on a victory for common sense.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that had been brought by a doctor who accused the KFC fast foods restaurant chain of failing to tell customers that it used trans fats to fry its chicken.

In an occasionally sarcastic opinion, U.S. District Judge James Robertson said Dr. Arthur Hoyte could not show that he was harmed by KFC 's use of the artery-clogging fats.

And in response to Hoyte's claim that customers have a growing understanding of the dangers of trans fats, Robertson wrote: "If consumers are increasingly aware of trans fat, where do they expect to find it if not in fast food restaurants?"

Nonetheless, customers will no longer consume trans fats with KFC's chicken, according to the restaurant chain.

KFC's parent company, Kentucky-based Yum Brands Inc. (YUM), announced Monday that all 5,500 of its U.S. restaurants have stopped frying chicken in trans fat. The company had said in October that it was switching to a new soybean oil believed to be less likely to cause heart disease. The lawsuit was filed last year, before the change.

Finally we have a judge who doesn't treat the general public as though we're too stupid to be able to think and decide for ourselves. Without judges like Judge Robertson, the health police would be the death of us.