The company has chosen not to reveal how many and which restaurants are using the new cooking oil. McDonald's spokesman, Walt Riker, says they are gauging customer feedback but wouldn't say what the response has been. "We're continuing to test in a small number of restaurants. It's important for our customers and we'll continue to test to get it right."
McDonald's first introduced the idea in September 2002, promising a new oil that would cut the level of harmful trans fatty acid in its fries in half. That promise was put on hold in February of 2003 in the midst of more important company priorities.
According to Riker, the company has been testing the new oil process in some restaurants ever since the delay.
McDonald's has already reduced the amount of trans fat in its Chicken McNuggets, Crispy Chicken and McChicken sandwiches. It also has added healthier menu items like a fruit and walnut salad in response to consumers' changing eating habits.
But the introduction of a new cooking oil for its fries could pose a risk to sales of one of McDonald's most popular menu items, said Janna Sampson of Oakbrook Investments, which owns more than 1 million McDonald's shares. "It's hard to imagine they can do that without some effect on the taste or texture of the fries," she said.
In February, McDonald's agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit from a nonprofit advocacy group accusing the company of misleading consumers by announcing plans to change its cooking oil but then delaying the switch. The bulk of the settlement went to the American Heart Association to educate the public about trans fats in food.
McDonald's also agreed to pay $10 million in 2002 to settle a lawsuit brought by vegetarian groups that had sued after it was disclosed that its french fries were being cooked in beef-flavored oil during the 1990s despite the company's insistence it was using pure vegetable oil.
Shares of McDonald's rose 23 cents to $29.88 in trading after Monday's announcement on the New York Stock Exchange.
