Taking the Colonel to Court

As plaintiff in a class action suit filed against KFC, a division of Yum! Brands, Lousiville, KY, retired physician Arthur Hoyte of Rockville, MD, hopes to pave the way for a "healthier, happier, trans-fat-free future," he says. The suit, filed earlier this week by the law firm of Heideman, Nudelman & Kalik, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, asks the court to prohibit KFC from cooking with partially hydrogenated oil. Failing that, the suit asks that KFC be required to post signs in its restaurants, disclosing that some menu items contain health-harming trans fats.

"The lawsuit is meant to serve as a wake-up call to the food industry that changes must be made to protect the consumer from known dangers to his or her health," says Richard D. Heideman, senior counsel of the Washington D.C. law firm.

KFC released a statement regarding the lawsuit that reads, in part: "All KFC products are safe to eat and meet or exceed all government regulations, and we take health and safety issues very seriously. We provide a variety of menu choices and provide nutrition information, including trans fat values, on our website and in our restaurants, so consumers can make informed choices before they purchase our products."

The suit was filed in Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and any decision against KFC would be binding only in that area.