Starbucks, the US-based multinational coffeehouse chain, has promised to cut trans fats from its doughnuts, muffins and other treats in more than 200 Chinese coffeehouses. 

Eden Woon, vice president of Starbucks China, made the announcement after the company publicized plans to cut trans fats in half of its US stores this week.

Starbucks China would make every effort to cut trans fats in all its stores and had started to avoid purchasing food containing such fats.

Trans fats, listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, are believed to be harmful to cholesterol levels.

Starbucks China would replace food containing the trans fats and the move wouldn't affect the price of its products, said Woon. However, the chain had no timetable to cut the fats in China.

"Different providers provide different food in different stores all over China and customers' tastes are different. It takes time to completely cut trans fats in all the stores in China," said Woon.

Trans fat remains a new expression in China and the authorities have made no moves to regulate their use in restaurant food, said an official with the National Grain and Oil Standardization Committee.

The Nasdaq-listed Starbucks has more than 12,000 outlets in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.

It opened its first outlet in Beijing in 1999 and now has more than 200 stores in 20 mainland cities.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2007)