WINNIPEG — Three Western Canada restaurant chains are being lauded for their decision to switch to zero trans fat cooking oil.

Why is this news, you may be wondering, when almost every Canadian restaurant made the switch over the past few years? Well, Abc Country Restaurants, Earls Restaurants and Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurants did it a decade ago, taking the lead in the Canadian foodservice industry when it comes to using healthier cooking oil.

At the end of the last century, the three chains partnered with Winnipeg-based Richardson Oilseed Limited, using Canola Harvest HiLo for their fried menu items. Canola Harvest HiLo is an Omega-9 Canola Oil that is high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, with zero trans fat and a low level of saturated fats.

“We knew consumers were continuing to seek healthier options and restaurants needed a solution,” said John Haen, vice-president, Nutrition Division, Richardson Oilseed Limited, in a press release. “The development of Canola Harvest HiLo was groundbreaking from both a health and operational perspective.” Canola Harvest HiLo has also helped restaurant chains become more efficient, as the oil is said to extend fry life by 50 per cent longer than other commonly used oil.

Since the eateries made the switch a decade ago, the restaurant industry has removed nearly 400 million kilograms of bad fats. Healthier oils have replaced more than 150 million kilograms of trans fat, and almost 60-million kilograms of saturated fat, both of which have been shown to increase the risk of coronary heart disease and other chronic health problems.