IHOP TO ELIMINATE TRANS FATS THIS YEAR.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS

Staff Writer

GLENDALE -- Following a trend set by other restaurants, IHOP's plates of bacon, fried shrimp and chicken tenders will soon be healthier.

The Glendale-based company known for its pancakes announced Monday that it will eliminate trans fats from frying oils before the end of the year.

"We recognize that our guests are very conscious of their food choices and we want to provide them delicious choices that meet a variety of needs for them," said Dustin Dixon, IHOP's vice president of product quality assurance and procurement.

"We understand that trans fats are something that are being eliminated across the country, so we are going to work our best to provide those types of products for (customers)."

The move stops short of getting rid of trans fats from all menu items at International House of Pancakes' 1,319 restaurants. The company said it needs to work with its food suppliers to make that change.

As it nixes trans fats from its frying oil, IHOP Corp. joins KFC Corp., Dunkin' Doughnuts and other chain restaurants that have made the switch.

New York City has banned restaurants from using trans fats in their frying oils, and next year it will require all menu items to be trans-fat free.

A bill before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would require chain restaurants in the state to post information about the trans fats in their menu items, as well as other nutritional info.

Los Angeles County officials were considering a ban similar to the one New York City adopted. Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke said the county has found that regulating trans fats in restaurants is beyond its power, but that companies are phasing out trans fats on their own.

"When people became aware of ... some of the problems with it, and the fact that it certainly does make people fat and it is not healthy ... many companies wanted to just voluntarily eliminate it," Burke said.

Trans fat is produced when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, which helps the oil last longer. It is widely used in frying oil, in processed foods as partially hydrogenated oils and in ingredients such as margarine and shortening.

The fats have no health benefits. In fact, eating them increases the risk of getting coronary heart disease.

Dixon said the company has not set a date for eliminating trans fat from all menu items. But before Dec. 31, it will fry with oils free of them.

Officials at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a group based in Washington, D.C., said the ban adopted by New York City, and other regulations imposed on trans fat, pushed chain restaurants to eliminate it.

"I think in three years trans fat will be largely out of the food supply," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the organization.

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

[phone]