Long John Silver's Big Catch platter (that contains TWO WEEKS worth of fat) named as America's unhealthiest restaurant meal

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 22:23 EST, 2 July 2013 | Updated: 10:23 EST, 3 July 2013

Long John Silver’s may not be the biggest fast food chain in the nation, but now it has the dubious honor of being the restaurant franchise dishing out America’s most unhealthy meal. 

At 1,320 calories, 33 grams of trans fats and whopping 3,700 milligrams of sodium, the seafood chain’s ‘Big Catch’ limited-time only fish platter handily ‘won’ the ‘Worst Restaurant Meal in America’ distinction Tuesday by a U.S. nutrition advocacy group.

For comparison, McDonald's double quarter pounder Big Mac with cheese packs 750 calories, 43 grams of fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, 2.5 grams of trans fats and 1,280 milligrams of sodium.

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'Deadliest catch': Coming in at 1,320 calories and with more than two weeks' worth of trans fats, Long John Silver's Big Catch platter has been declared the 'Worst Restaurant Meal in America' by the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Yum: The seafood chain's Big Catch limited-time only fish platter handily won the Worst Restaurant Meal in America distinction on Tuesday by a U.S. nutrition advocacy group

Happy customers: The artery-clogging trans fat tally alone is ‘astonishing’ in the dish of fried fish, cornmeal hush puppies and onion rings, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Spokesman: 'It's the largest fish we have ever offered, weighing in at seven ounces to eight ounces of 100 per cent premium haddock caught in the icy waters of the North Atlantic'

The artery-clogging trans fat tally alone is ‘astonishing’ in the dish of fried fish, cornmeal hush puppies and onion rings, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

The American Heart Association's limit is less than 2 grams daily and trans fat has been banned by some cities and states and abandoned by many U.S. food makers.

CSPI, a consumer-focused non-profit group that promotes healthier eating, wants the chain to stop using the unhealthy oil and is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke its approval of trans fat-containing partially hydrogenated cooking oils that raise the risk of heart disease.

CSPI said it planned to pursue legal action if Long John Silver's continues to use the unhealthy cooking oil.

What a catch! The fast food chain described the limited-time menu item as containing a half-pound of wildcaught North Atlantic Haddock paired with onion rings and hush puppies, being sold for $4.99

Thumbs up: In a promotional video posted on YouTube a month ago, Long John silver's described its latest fishy offering as the chain's 'biggest fillet ever'

Big fan: Casey finished his in just seven minutes

‘It's outrageous that Long John Silver's foods are still loaded with artificial trans fat and that the FDA still permits it in foods,’ Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a statement.

CSPI also said Long John Silver's nutrition disclosures understate the amount of trans fat and sodium in its onion rings and hush puppies.

‘We stand behind our published food data and will review any requests from CSPI that raise questions about our data,’ Gary Gerdemann, a spokesman for Long John Silver's, said in an email.
Gerdemann did not address the trans fat issue.

In a promotional video posted on YouTube a month ago, Long John silver's described its latest fishy offering as the chain's 'biggest fillet ever.'

'Almost a full half-pound of our tender, flaky wildcaught, North Atlantic Haddock, cooked to perfection in our signature batter,' the eatery boasted on the site. 'Get a basket with choice of side and Hushpuppies for just $4.99 for a limited time!'

‘It’s the largest fish we have ever offered, weighing in at 7 ounces to 8 ounces of 100 per cent premium haddock caught in the icy waters of the North Atlantic,’ Long John Silver’s executive Charles St. Clair stated in a press release.

The company also emphasized that the meal is ‘a limited time only special that delivers tremendous value to value hungry consumers’ and can be paired with vegetables like corn and green beans, USA Today reported.

The ugly truth: Lab tests showed that instead of being 100 per cent haddock, diners at Long John Silver's actually consume about 60 per cent of fish and 40 per cent of batter when they order the Big Catch platter

Supersized: The company pointed out that the Big Catch meal delivers tremendous value to hungry consumers

But according to CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, this is nothing but a fish tale since lab tests revealed that Big Catch contains about 4.5 ounces of actual fish, and nearly 3 ounces of batter..

‘It turns out that when Long John Silver’s says 7-8 ounces of 100 per cent haddock, it’s more like 60 per cent haddock, and 40 per cent batter and grease,’ Jacobson said. ‘Nutrition aside, that’s just plain piracy.”

Jacobson accused the fast food giant of ‘entombing’ healthy and nutritious pieces of fish in a thick crust of batter and partially hydrogenated oil.

‘The result? A heart attack on a hook. Instead of the Big Catch, I’d call it America’s Deadliest Catch,’ he said, adding that the meal ‘deserves to be buried 20,000 leagues under the sea.’

Long John Silver's ‘Big Catch’ meal also has 19 grams of heart disease-promoting saturated fat and the high sodium content promotes high blood pressure and stroke, CSPI said.

Trans fat is considered to be the most unhealthy dietary fat because it increases "bad" LDL cholesterol and reduces ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.

Trans fat occurs naturally in meat and milk, but the majority makes its way into the American diet by way of foods cooked with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

The FDA in 2006 began requiring food makers to list trans fat on their product labels. New York City, the state of California and other jurisdictions also passed laws banning the use of trans fats in restaurants and other food service establishments.

As a result, packaged food makers have largely eliminated their use of trans fat and high-profile restaurant chains like McDonald's Corp have switched to trans fat-free oils.

Growing brand: The seafood restaurant chain, formerly owned by Yum! Brands, Inc, has over 1,200 eateries worldwide

Typical adults are advised to consume no more than 20 grams of saturated fat and 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

CSPI also compiles an annual list of ’food porn’ to alert consumers to menu items with eye-popping levels of calories, saturated fat, sugar and/or sodium. The group has used such ‘awards’ to raise awareness about healthy eating.

The seafood restaurant chain, which has over 1,200 eateries worldwide, was formerly a division of Yum! Brands, Inc, but was divested to a group of franchisees in 2011.