CRG insists no trans fat in products

Central Restaurant Group (CRG), which runs 12 brand name European and Japanese food shops, insists all of their dishes are free of trans fat, a type of dangerous oil linked with heart diseases and stroke.

CRG, the restaurant operator under Central Group, assured customers of its food safety measures after the Public Health Ministry published its announcement in the Royal Gazette on July 13 banning the production, import and sale of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) and food that contain them, effective 180 days from the publication date.

PHOs are the main source of trans fat. They are artificially made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils.

“All menus in our restaurant chain are free of hydrogen-processed ingredients,” the company said. “Customers can trust our products of all brands.”

One of them, Mister Donut, checked and adjusted raw materials early this year to bring them in line with the law. It has sold trans-fat-free food since the end of last month.

Other brands under CRG include KFC, Auntie Anne’s, Chabuton and Ootoya.

Mahidol University’s Institute of Nutrition recently revealed the result of its survey of 162 food samples. It discovered only 13% were contaminated with harmful levels of trans fat, which is often found in baked products.

More worrying was that 53% of them contained saturated fats, a type of fat saturated with hydrogen molecules, according to the institute.