You’ve no doubt heard that some time in 2007 the cinnamon roll you covet, along with your daily Frappuccino, will be purged of trans fats. Starbucks has joined the likes of Taco Bell, KFC and Wendy’s in vowing to limit or eliminate trans fats from their menus.

That will be then. The skinny is, we’re not there yet. But public pressure—from consumers, New York City legislators, food activists—certainly is getting the attention of food providers. Lawsuits, like those against Kraft Foods (the makers of Oreos) and McDonald’s for their trans-fat-laden products, have turned up the heat even more.

There is a distinct divide between packaged foods and what you might get on your fast-food tray.

“When trans fats labeling laws went into effect, anyone who sells foods in the supermarkets raced to get partially hydrogenated oils [a common description of trans fats] out of their products so they could report no trans fats,” says Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

A look at the MSN Health & Fitness “Dirty Dozen” of top trans fat offenders that remain in restaurants versus packaged food in grocery stores is telling. For example, the 14 grams of trans fats contained in our top fast-food chain offender, KFC’s chicken pot pie, is twice that of our top offender from the supermarket, the 6 grams of trans fats found in Cinnabon’s Cinnamon and Cream Cheese Turnovers.

Even 6 grams is too much for your body to handle.

“You should have 1 percent or less of your dietary calories from trans fats,” says Cronin, echoing the views of his organization’s nutritionists. “For someone on a 2,000 calorie diet, that’s less than 2 grams of trans fats a day.” That amount, Cronin says, is what an average non-vegetarian eater gets from milk and meat products. This means you want to eat zero trans fats a day from other foods, such as restaurant fare, snacks and treats.

Even so, trans fats still lurk in obvious and not-so-obvious places. The more processed the food, the more likely you’ll find trans fats. Cronin says that of the fast-food chains, “McDonald’s and Burger King are the two biggest chains that haven’t switched.”

As for avoiding trans fats at the supermarket, be wary of food categories such as chicken pot pies, pie crusts, pancake mixes and many frozen foods, he says.

At a restaurant or grocer, the key is to find out which oils were used when preparing the food. Ask your wait staff or read the label. If the item is prepared with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, then it contains trans fats. If it is prepared with soybean, canola, peanut, sunflower, safflower or other liquid vegetable oils, chances are the food’s free of trans fats.

It’s difficult to figure out the amount of trans fats contained in restaurant food because local laws don’t mandate disclosure of that information. Food labeling laws have made it easier to find out what’s in packaged foods. However, a recent spin through a grocery store uncovered some high-fat brands. Note to parents: Beware of the trans fats in the kids menu, too. Burger King’s six-piece crown-shaped chicken tenders, for example, have 2.5 grams of trans fat. A small order of fries adds another 3 grams, which means this kid’s meal has a total of 5.5 grams of trans fat. Ouch!

And one disturbing hitch: FDA regulations stipulate that if a serving contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the manufacturer can say it contains no trans fat. So even when a label says zero trans fat, check that ingredient list. Again, if you see the word “hydrogenated,” the item may still contain small amounts that could add up.

Public pressure and a series of well-placed lawsuits have prompted more than a few fast-food companies to curb the trans fats on their menus. But there remain some big-name holdouts among the trans fats offenders at fast-food counters.

MSN Trans Fat Dirty Dozen: Fast Food

Fast-Food Restaurant Meals
Trans Fats Per Serving

KFC’s Chicken Pot Pie 14 grams
McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast 11 grams
McDonald’s Large Fries 8 grams
Burger King’s King-Size French Fries 7 grams
Krispy Kreme’s Apple Fritter 7 grams
McDonald’s Big Breakfast 7 grams
Krispy Kreme’s Glazed Sour Cream Doughnut 6 grams
Krispy Kreme’s Glazed Kreme Filled Doughnut 6 grams
Krispy Kreme’s New York Cheesecake Doughnut 6 grams
Krispy Kreme’s Chocolate Ice Cream Filled Doughnut 6 grams
McDonald’s Deluxe Warm Cinnamon Roll 6 grams
McDonald’s Biscuit 5 grams

By Jean Weiss for MSN Health & Fitness