Judge approves McDonald's trans fat ruling

A judge in California has approved the settlement that McDonald's reached with plaintiffs who sued the company for quietly reneging on an earlier promise to eliminate trans fats (see U.S. Food Policy last February). According to the Associated Press over the weekend, "McDonald's said it was pleased the case has been settled and that it had reduced the amount of trans fat in its McNuggets, Crispy Chicken, and McChicken products." As part of the agreement, McDonald's will pay the plaintiffs' legal expenses and support the American Heart Association to the tune of several million dollars. For many of the company's competitors, nobody even knows how much trans fat there is. Good for McDonald's.