Long John Silver’s Dumps Trans-Fat Cooking Oil

Long John Silver’s is switching to trans-fat-free cooking oil in its domestic restaurants. By the end of the year, the company says that all of its U.S. locations will use trans-fat-free cooking oil for all fried products.

The chain’s outlets located in cities or states that ban trans fats from restaurant food—including New York City and California, which enacted bans in 2006 and ’08, respectively—switched their cooking oils years ago to comply with local regulations. In September, transitioning stores will begin using trans-fat-free cooking oil for non-batter-dipped products, including French fries, hush puppies, clams, crab cakes, catfish and breaded-seafood items.

A 2012 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that restaurants’ reductions in trans fats, done voluntarily and in compliance with changing laws, may have contributed to lower levels of trans fat reported in the blood of white American adults between 2000-09.

“The move to trans-fat-free cooking oil is part of the evolution of Long John Silver’s to a contemporary, relevant seafood brand, which we began in 2012 after becoming an independent company,” said CEO Mike Kern. The Louisville, Ky., chain, which franchises more than 1,275 restaurants in the United States and Asia, separated from Yum! Brands in late 2011.