Trans fats vanishing from culinary lineup at Safeco Field games

If Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus tells Grandma to get out the rye bread and mustard on Opening Day this Monday, at least this season the grand salami will be nearly free of the dreaded artificial trans fats.

Safeco Field is the latest major venue to move toward eliminating the artery-clogging stuff, following on the heels of places such as Walt Disney World, the Taco Bell and Arby's chains, Marriott hotels and all 24,000-plus restaurants in New York City.

Centerplate Inc., which handles concessions and catering at the ballpark, says artificial trans fats are all but gone from about 80 percent of all the food sold at Safeco, from the upper deck to the Diamond Club.

But the changeup hasn't come without a few problems for some vendors. Ivar's and Kidd Valley restaurants, which are operated by the same company, have eliminated man-made trans fats from the regular eateries in the chains but haven't had the same luck replacing the trans-fatty oils in their ballpark fryers.

The reason? Sheer volume. Ivar's and Kidd Valley's five Safeco locations will fry up more than 4,000 orders of fish, garlic fries and other items on Opening Day, compared to about 600 a day at a regular restaurant. About 70 percent of that gets cooked and sold by the end of the first inning, said President Bob Donegan.

So far, he hasn't found an oil free of artificial trans fats that bats 1.000. But he said he hopes to find a solution as early as next week or at least by the end of the season.

"It smokes more; it turns brown quicker," Donegan said of the replacement oils the company has tried. "It scorches the food quicker, and it can't be cleaned up by filtering the way our regular oil could."

By the numbers

Some of the food consumed by fans at Safeco Field during the Mariners' 2006 season:

Grounders garlic fries 183,000 orders

Ivar's clam chowder 32,000 cups, bowls and bread bowls

Kidd Valley hamburgers and cheeseburgers 72,000

Ivar's fish and chips 86,000 orders

Ivar's grilled items 19,500 orders

Kidd Valley chili 35,000 orders

Source: Ivar's

Health concerns

Even baseball fans are increasingly conscious of what they eat and have been demanding more healthful options, said Blair Rasmussen, regional executive chef for Centerplate.

Artificial trans fats, which have been around for about a century, are made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to make it solid. The process makes the oil last longer and gives certain food a desirable taste, texture and shelf life.

Some trans fats also occur naturally, in dairy products and many meats. But health and nutrition groups, including the American Heart Association, link them to heart disease and stroke and LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol. Locally, state and county officials have been debating whether to follow the lead of some cities, including New York and Philadelphia, and ban all man-made trans fats from restaurants.

"There has been a groundswell of opinion throughout North America to move away from trans fats," Rasmussen said. "Certainly Seattle is a very big food city. Even at the ballpark."

Tough to do

At KeyArena and Qwest Field, officials say they're also trying to eliminate trans fats.

But eliminating them from a menu is tougher than just changing oil and shortening.

Eateries have to develop new recipes and negotiate anew with their suppliers to get ingredients that have no trans fat — everything from condiments to pancake mix.

A lot of food destined for the deep fryer, such as French fries, are blanched in oil before they are frozen so they will cook more quickly later.

At the same time, prices are up at the moment for oils free of artificial trans fat because so many restaurants are switching. But many say the change is worth it.

At the University of Washington Medical Center, which switched to trans-fat-free cooking oil in 2005, food-service director Walter Thurnhofer says many of the oils have become just as good as their hydrogenated brethren.

"There is real harm that comes from [trans fat,] and you don't need to ingest this product for a healthy life, or good-tasting food," said Thurnhofer, a clinical dietician.

"People have the right to eat French fries. But when you can do something to the French fries to make them a little bit healthier, why not?"

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com