Starbucks announced yesterday that it will move to remove trans fats from its baked goods. The move, which will take effect immediately at half of its U.S. corporate coffee houses and in the latter half of 2007 in Canada, is sparked by an increasing number of concerns from health agencies and consumer groups about the obesity crisis and the negative effects of the fat on cholesterol.
Though the company has yet to reveal specific plans for eliminating trans fats from baked, the company has confirmed that its standalone Starbucks stores in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, already have zero trans fats in their food.
Starbucks has about 5,600 company-owned coffeehouses in the U.S. and more than 400 in Canada. It has more than 100 licensed outlets, such as kiosks in airports and grocery stores that are operated by other businesses.
Joining the coffee company in its efforts to end trans fats are KFC, Wendy's, and McDonald’s.
