Louisville, KY, April 30 - After nearly three years of research, planning and much anticipation, KFC announced today that its restaurants nationwide are now serving its classic, finger lickin' good fried chicken with zero grams of trans fat per serving. The zero grams of trans fat menu includes all of KFC's fried chicken products, such as its famous Original Recipe® and Extra Crispy(TM) chicken, KFC Snacker® sandwiches and potato wedges.
To celebrate the launch of KFC zero grams trans fat menu items, the KFC Colonel reached new heights and entered zero gravity, participating in a parabolic flight with the Zero Gravity Corporation to provide him with moments of weightlessness. The flight lasted roughly two hours, during which the Colonel experienced zero gravity and dined on the new zero grams trans fat per serving Original Recipe chicken.
"At KFC we're committed to serving foods that meet the changing needs of our customers, without sacrificing the finger-lickin' good taste that is the foundation of our brand," said Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC. "The taste of our chicken cooked in a zero grams trans fat oil is out of this world, so it makes perfect sense for the KFC Colonel to make the announcement in zero gravity."
KFC Goes Zero Trans Fat Both the Food and Drug Administration and American Heart Association recommend limiting trans fat intake. In October 2006, KFC was one of the first quick service restaurants to announce the move to a zero grams trans fat cooking oil. KFC was able to transition to a zero grams trans fat cooking oil following years of research and a six-month transition process that resulted in a switch to a low linolenic soybean oil in place of the partially hydrogenated soybean oil previously used in KFC restaurants in the United States.
KFC Contest Invites America to Sample Zero Grams of Trans Fat Items In conjunction with the nationwide rollout of its zero grams trans fat menu items, KFC is inviting chicken lovers to get into the "spirit of zero" with a new online contest. Starting on April 30, KFC fans can log on to www.kfc.com and watch exclusive footage of the Colonel's recent Zero Gravity experience and seek out a secret message that could unlock a chance to win one of 10,000 $1 KFC gift checks. The checks can be used toward the purchase of any KFC item -- including the ones with zero grams of trans fat per serving-- at participating KFC restaurants.
Zero Grams Trans Fat Advertising Campaign KFC is introducing its switch to a zero grams trans fat cooking oil with two 15 second commercials created by DraftFCB, which will debut nationwide on April 30. In addition, consumers will hear the great news about zero grams trans fat at KFC through in-store point of purchase materials, print ads and at KFC's websites www.kfc.com and www.bringbackdinner.com.
"KFC is the first major quick service restaurant company to run a dedicated advertising campaign around the zero grams trans fat initiative for its hallmark products," said James O'Reilly, chief marketing officer for KFC. "We want everyone to know that KFC's fried chicken has the same great taste, now with zero grams of trans fat per serving."
Zero Grams Trans Fat Offerings Other menu items that will now have zero grams of trans fat per serving are: Crispy Strips, Wings, Boneless Wings, Honey BBQ, Buffalo and Crispy KFC Snacker® Sandwiches, Popcorn Chicken, Twisters® and Potato Wedges. Many KFC menu items have always had zero grams of trans fat per serving, including: all Tender Roast® Products, Honey BBQ Sandwich, Honey BBQ KFC Snacker, and many side dishes such as Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob and Coleslaw.