Long John Silver’s, winner of the ‘worst restaurant meal in America’

It may seem difficult to consume two weeks’ worth of fat in one day. Now think about eating that much fat in a single meal.

But Long John Silver’s Big Catch -- “the worst restaurant meal in America” -- manages it, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

According to lab tests run by the food watchdog group, the meal includes 33 grams of trans fat, or more than two week’s worth of the American Heart Assn.’s recommended daily allotment. It also contains 19 grams of saturated fat, 3,700 milligrams of sodium and 1,320 calories.

The meal consists of a battered and fried piece of haddock and a selection of two side dishes, including corn, green beans, rice, coleslaw, fries, hush puppies and onion rings. The CSPI findings are based on a meal of fish, hushpuppies and onion rings.

On the Long John Silver’s website, there is an ad for the “New Big Catch Basket” claiming the fish is now three times bigger than one piece of uncooked Alaskan pollock of unspecified size. The CSPI is charging that the fast food chain doesn’t accurately post its nutrition facts.

According to the report, Long John Silver’s advertises its haddock as 7 to 8 ounces of pure haddock. The CSPI says that in reality, it’s 60% haddock, 40% butter and grease.

“Long John Silver’s Big Catch meal deserves to be buried 20,000 leagues under the sea,” said CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson on the group’s website. “This company is taking perfectly healthy fish — and entombing it in a thick crust of batter and partially hydrogenated oil. The result? A heart attack on a hook.”

If you’re a California Long John Silver’s customer, you can take comfort in knowing your fish and onion rings are fried in canola oil. The state banned the use of trans fats in 2010.

“Long John Silver’s offers a variety of meal choices including baked fish and shrimp that can satisfy almost every diner’s dietary choices,” the company said in a statement provided to The Times. “We stand behind our published food data and will review any requests from CSPI that raise questions about our data.”

The CSPI is threatening to sue Chief Executive Mike Kern if the Long John Silver’s chain continues to use partially hydrogenated oil and misrepresent its nutrition information.

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