The Canadian canola oil industry is ready to help New York City food service operators take trans fats out of their fryers.

Canola Council president Barb Isman says, “Canola oil is the natural choice to replace partially hydrogenated oils in deep frying. Canola oil suppliers can provide solutions for food service operators looking for functionality and good nutrition.”

The NYC Board voted unanimously to bar restaurants from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July 1. New York restaurants will have to eliminate artificial trans fats from all foods by July 1, 2008.

Isman says the canola industry is already helping restaurants serve healthier foods. Several fast food chains including KFC in Canada and Taco Bell in North America have recently announced they’re switching to canola oil from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that contain trans fats.

Isman points out that canola oil is trans fat free and the lowest in saturated fat of all commercially available fats and oils. In early October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a qualified health claim for canola oil based on the relationship of its high level of unsaturated fats to the reduction of cardiovascular disease.

For more information about canola oil, go to www.canola-council.org and http://www.canolainfo.org/.