McDonald's has unveiled plans to reduce the amount of potentially harmful trans fats in products it sells in the UK. 

The fast-food giant is to bring in a new blend of cooking oil by mid-2008 at 6,300 outlets across Europe, in response to concerns over links between trans fats, increased cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease. 

It has no plans to cut trans fats – which are made from a vegetable oil base and are used as an ingredient in processed foods - in products sold in its US outlets.

The new McDonald’s cooking oil – which will contain rapeseed oil and sunflower oil with high concentrations of oleic acid - will have a maximum trans fat content of 2% and a maximum saturated fat content of 12%, the company said.

Rival fast-food chain KFC pledged last month to stop using trans fats in the UK "as soon as possible". 

The announcements reflect a wider trend in the UK, with Food and Drink Federation estimates showing that trans fats are being phased out of food products with a retail value of £1.5b.

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By Daniel Thomas

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