Culver Franchising System, Inc. announced today that it will complete a full transition to zero grams trans fat cooking oil by March 1, 2007. Culver’s was among the first restaurants to make the switch to a 20 percent reduced trans fat cooking oil two years ago. For its new cooking oil, Culver’s will use a 100 percent canola oil.
“Culver’s cares about our guests’ health and their enjoyment of our food,” said Culver’s co-founder Craig Culver. “Making the change to zero grams trans fat cooking oil is something we’ve been evaluating and testing carefully to ensure our guests enjoy each and every meal. As has always been our mission, we want guests to taste how much we care as a result of this change to this new cooking oil.”
The transition to a zero grams trans fat oil is one of several initiatives Culver’s has launched. Culver’s also has introduced an online Nutrition Choice Calculator that guests can use to order their meal to meet their unique nutritional specifications.
Additionally, Culver’s recently joined the Healthy Dining Program. As a participating restaurant, several of Culver’s menu items, with corresponding nutrition information, are featured on the groundbreaking website HealthyDiningFinder.com. Through HealthyDiningFinder.com, consumers can easily find menu items –from restaurants nationwide–that meet nutritional criteria for calories, fat, and saturated fat, based on the recommendations of leading health organizations.
“We congratulate Culver’s for transitioning to zero grams trans fat cooking oil and enabling their guests to make smart choices that fit into balanced and active lifestyles,” said Erica Bohm, Healthy Dining’s Vice President and Director of Strategic Partnerships.
The transition to a healthier zero grams trans fat oil began nearly two years ago when Culver’s restaurants began using 20 percent reduced trans fat cooking oil to replace the partially hydrogenated cooking oil they had been using. Working closely with supplier Cargill(r), Culver’s began their most extensive testing and research ever done on a new product before selecting the 100 percent canola oil to find the best zero grams trans fat oil meeting Culver’s quality, taste and performance requirements.
Guests who want to know more about how to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle can visit Culver’s Healthy Lifestyle Center online at www.culvers.com or ask for a brochure when visiting any Culver’s restaurant. To locate Culver’s food choices that are low in fats and sodium and that offer good sources of important nutrients and fiber, guests can click on the Nutrition Choice Calculator found on Culver’s home page.
