BOSTON — Dunkin' Donuts, the
food-on-the-go chain whose name celebrates a treat that's
symbolic of unhealthy eating, is trying to refresh its image by
largely eliminating trans fat across its menu, Homer Simpson be
damned.
Dunkin' planned to announce today that it has developed an
alternative cooking oil and reformulated more than 50 menu items
— doughnuts included. The Canton, Mass.-based chain says its
menu will be "zero grams trans fat" by Oct. 15 across its 5,400
U.S. restaurants in 34 states.
About 400 locations nationwide that took part in a four-month
test already have made the switch to a new blend of palm,
soybean and cottonseed oils. That includes all restaurants in
New York City and Philadelphia.
The ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins, another unit of Dunkin'
Brands Inc., plans to be zero grams trans fat by Jan. 1.
Dunkin' isn't claiming it will become "trans fat free," but does
say any trans fat in foods including doughnuts, croissants,
muffins and cookies will fall below half a gram per serving.
Federal regulations allow food labels to say they've got zero
grams of trans fat provided levels fall below the half-gram
threshold.
A nutrition advocacy group welcomed the company's addition to
the list of restaurant chains that have recently shifted away
from trans fat.
"It's good news that they're dropping most, if not quite all, trans fat,"
said Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, a Washington-based nonprofit. "If Dunkin' Donuts can do that,
anyone can."
But Cronin cautioned that when it comes to Dunkin's doughnuts, "we're still
talking about a food that's mostly white flour, sugar and fat."
Dunkin' isn't positioning its namesake product as health food — a shift that
would involve more disbelief suspension than might be possible for a treat
synonymous with portly, doughnut-gobbling Homer from television's The
Simpsons.
"The goal was not to make a healthy doughnut, it was really to create a
doughnut that was better," said Joe Scafido, Dunkin's chief creative and
innovation officer. "Certainly, we did not create a healthy doughnut."
Although its coffees are by far a bigger seller, the 57-year-old chain was
founded on the reputation of its doughnuts. Now, Dunkin' claims to be the
first major chain to introduce a zero grams trans fat doughnut, although
smaller doughnut makers have already done so. Mainstream doughnut makers'
products can have around 5 grams of trans fat apiece.
The main source of trans fats is partially hydrogenated oils, formed when
hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oils to harden them. Evidence suggests
artificial trans fats boost "bad" cholesterol and lower "good" cholesterol,
increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Dunkin' is ahead of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., which has yet to roll out a
zero gram trans fat doughnut but hopes to do so. Brian Little, a spokesman
for the North Carolina-based chain, said, "We continue to work aggressively
with outside supply partners, and our goal is to get to zero trans fatty
acids while maintaining great Krispy Kreme taste."
Starbucks Corp., Dunkin's Seattle-based rival in the coffee shop niche, said
in May that it would cut artificial trans fats out of its food and drinks by
year's end in stores in the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada.
Dunkin's announcement follows about four years of research of more than 28
alternative cooking oils and proprietary blends.
This past spring, hundreds of restaurants began taking part in a test to
gauge customer reaction to the blend that Dunkin' ultimately selected.
Managers at participating stores were split into two groups, with one
receiving conventional cooking oil, the other receiving the experimental
oil, and neither group knowing which type they received. Dunkin' closely
watched sales and customer response at restaurants with the experimental
oil.
"We got no negative consumer feedback, and we sold 50 million doughnuts in
that time," Scafido said.
Dunkin's 1,900 locations outside the U.S. are expected to begin using the
new oil over the next couple years, he said.
