European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sifrod chains respond to beefs co pm i contained an average of seven Grams of fat. But most health professionals would not be too upset about a hamburger that was less than 30 percent fat and 7 Grams of total fat. Dietary advice today whether from the surgeon general the american cancer society or the american heart association recommends a diet with 30 percent fat or less. This reporter had hamburger patties from five chains Analysed for their fat Content. At the suggestion of the Laboratory the patties were purchased without bread which would absorb some fat. A Small amount of the fat could not be measured because it adhered to the containers in which the patties were placed by sales clerks. The burgers were then immediately transferred to plastic bags. The hamburgers were bought at three restaurants of each of five chains Mcdonald a Burger King Wendy Sroy Rogers and Hardeep a. At each Stop three burgers of the smallest Type available were purchased. The average percentage of fat did not vary significantly from Chain to Chain. It was lowest though not by much at Mcdonald s a 21.2 percent a and highest at Roy Rogers a 23.7 percent. The average at Hardee s was 21.4 percent at Burger King 22.5 percent and at Wendy a it was 22.8 percent. But the size of the smallest hamburger available made an important difference in the amount of fat consumed. The Roy Rogers hamburgers which were Quarter Pounders weighed an average of 2.66 ounces after cooking. They were More than twice As Large As the Mcdonald s 1.14 ounces and Hardeep a hamburgers 1.13 ounces. So the smallest Roy Rogers hamburgers contained almost 18 Grams per Patty while the smallest at Mcdonalds and Hardeep a s had 6.8. And 6.9 Grams. At Wendy a the smallest burgers available weighed an average of 2.56 ounces and contained 16.5 Grams of fat. Burger Kings burgers were in Between weighing 1.39 ounces with 8.9 Grams of fat. Although they were not tested larger burgers Supply much larger amounts of fat. A Burger King whopper according to the company a nutrition brochure contains 36 Grams of fat and Wendy a says its big classic double has 39 Grams of fat. The Mcdonald a nutrition brochure says a Quarter Pounder contains triple the amount of fat of a Plain hamburger and big macs May have five times As much. Including an order of French Fries a even the smallest serving a to these sandwiches adds another 12 Grams of fat to the meal. A Milkshake adds 10 More Grams. Because these foods Are meat and Dairy products and the fat used to Cook the French Fries is partly beef tallow the cholesterol count is also High. Mcdonald a Fries Are cooked in a mixture of beef tallow or fat and vegetable shortening As they Are at Burger King Roy Rogers and Wendy s. Hardeep a uses Only polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Mcdonalds said it has begun experimenting with cooking its French Fries in an All vegetable Oil mixture. In May it introduced a lower fat Milkshake mix Low fat Frozen Yogurt and Orange sorbet. Hardeep a has just agreed to buy the Roy Rogers Chain from the Marriott corp. And plans to switch its acquisition s cooking to All vegetable Oil. Roy Rogers has used a combination of vegetable and animal fat for All its frying. That vast nutritional wasteland nutritionists once saw s showing signs of greening. Responding to pressure from consumer health organizations like the Center Tor science in the Public interest a consumer health advocacy group in Washington and from the Public the chains have been broadening their menus. So among the Fried and the fat the cheese and the milkshakes there Are Low fat alternatives. A a we re giving Consumers what they want instead of what we want Quot said Cori Zywotow director of publicity for Burger King. Each of the chains visited for the test offers at least one salad some have two or three. A Chunky Chicken salad at Burger King used fresh ingredients and was quite acceptable. Each Chain had a reduced calorie salad dressing. Some Wendy a and Roy Rogers have extensive salad bars. Wendy a has salad bars in almost All of its restaurants and what it Calls super salad bars which include some hot items in about 60 percent of them. Baked potatoes at Wendy a Are Well cooked but in order to keep the fat Down they must be eaten Plain. Wendy also says it is testing an All vegetable Oil for French Fries a lower fat Content for its Dairy desserts and a grilled Chicken Sandwich. The roast beef Sandwich at Roy Rogers is another Good Choice because it is Low in fat. The very Best tasting of the alternatives however was Burger Kings grilled Chicken Sandwich the . Broiler in an oat bran Bun. Ask for it Plain without the ranch dressing and use Mustard and Ketchup. Without the dressing the six ounce Sandwich has eight Grams of fat. Since its introduction in february it has turned out to be a Winner. The company s Best seller the whopper hamburger Sells 2 million a Day Zywotow said. The . Broiler is already Selling 1 million a Day. Hardeep a also has a grilled Chicken Sandwich which is quite acceptable in taste. It is 3.75 ounces and has 4 Grams of fat without the Mayonnaise. In Many of these fast food outlets it is also possible to order Orange juice in place of a soft drink and 2 percent milk in place of whole milk. Mcdonald s is experimenting with Cereal and fat free Apple bran muffins for breakfast a pleasing change of Pace from biscuits with sausage and egg and danish pastries. Fast fat fattening foods Here Are the calorie fat and sodium contents of some common fast foods. Top line shows the maximum daily amount recommended for Good health. Sodium calories Teaspoons milligrams recommended Dally maximum 1800-2500 10-15 900-2700 double beef Burger King 946 13.6 1232 whopper a cheese big Mac Mcdonald a 562 7.4 950 cheeseburger Burger King 317 3.4 651 hamburger on Wendy s 350 3.9 320 Multi Grain Bun double cheese Domino s 466 4.4 728 Pepperoni pizza slice double beef Taco Bell 464 5.2 1054 Burrito supreme Taco Taco Bell 184 2.5 273 Taco salad Taco Bell 1204 20.6 2047 a ranch dressing Garden salad Mcdonald s 112 1.5 160 Chicken salad Mcdonald s 141 0.8 230 Oriental chef salad Hardee s 309 3.0 788 Fries regular Mcdonald 220 2.6 110 deluxe potato Arby s 657 8.4 685 Plain baked potato Wendy s 250 0.5 60 milk shake Burger King 321 2.5 204 Apple turnover Arby s 303 4.2 178 frosty Wendy s 400 3.2 220 Dairy dessert big country break Hardee s 849 15.9 1820 fast a sausage egg Mcruffin Mcdonald s 293 2.7 740 one Teaspoon equals about 5 Grams. Source Center Lor science in the Public interest Khan  y Wustman health tips for outdoor eating by Randolph e. Schmid associated press food should make you feel Good not bad. So take special care in outdoor Barbecue season to avoid food borne illness. For years the Federal food and drug administration has been stressing the Basic advice a keep hot foods hot keep cold foods  that Means keep hot foods at 145 degrees or More and cold foods at 45 degrees or less. Don t let either stand at room temperature for any length of time. And of course keep All food and food handling tools and surfaces clean add the Fra department of agriculture and others. That includes your hands. Millions of cases of food borne illness occur annually in the United states. Most Are mistakenly assumed to be some Type of flu according to the Mayo clinic nutrition letter. Children and people with chronic illnesses Are particularly vulnerable to food borne illnesses reports Lester m. Crawford of the agriculture department s food safety and inspection service. Children a immune systems May not be fully developed Crawford reports while youngsters with illnesses May have impaired immune systems. Among those at risk Are folks with aids diabetics people receiving chemotherapy and those with chronic liver and kidney problems. Cook food thoroughly so it reaches an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees f. Meat and poultry should be cooked until there is no Pink color inside and the juices run Clear. Fish should Flake with a Fork when properly done and eggs should be solid not Runny. Never eat raw or undercooked meat poultry seafood or eggs says Crawford. And cleanliness is essential particularly cleaning cutting boards and utensils Between use. A cutting Board used for raw meat for example can easily spread dangerous bacteria to other foods placed on it later. If you Are going on a picnic the Fra suggests certain foods that May be less Likely to cause problems. These include scrubbed whole fruit processed lunch meats and hot dogs which contain preservatives canned meats and canned vegetables. If you Are taking along raw meat or poultry keep it cold and in a leak proof Container until cooked. Potato chips cookies and cake can do Well on a picnic if diets permit but leave Cream filled goodies behind. The Fra notes that moist proteins such As meat poultry eggs seafood custards Cream pies potato salads milk and milk products Are susceptible to organisms that can multiply quickly in warm conditions. Botulism the deadliest food poisoning is now rare thanks to improved Canning methods. But Home canners should follow instructions carefully. And never buy or use canned goods that Are swollen or badly dented. Pack your cooler the Day of the picnic using plenty of ice or freeze pack inserts. The cooler should include Only things that need to keep Cool such As meats salads and drinks. Keep these containers tightly closed. 15,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 15