Hold the Trans Fats at Dunkin’ Donuts

Soon we will all be able to eat Dunkin’ Donuts with a wee bit less guilt. The company has announced it is removing trans fats from menu items by mid-October. Dunkin’ officials were quick to point out that “we did not create a healthy doughnut.” So what have they done? Offering a no-trans fat doughnut can give Dunkin’ a point of difference over its large competitors like Krispy Kreme and Tim Horton’s, but it doesn’t seem to be a revolutionary introduction. It seems to be a move that customers will likely notice and signal to special interest groups that the company is trying to make a healthier(?) product.

At the very least, Dunkin’ may appease advocacy groups that challenge food companies with unhealthy offerings to be more responsible in managing the nutritional benefits (or lack thereof) their products contain. At least Dunkin’ doesn’t appear to be planning to use a tactic similar to what KFC used a few years ago when the Atkins diet craze was in full swing when it made a lame attempt to suggest that fried chicken was a healthy choice. In this case, Dunkin’ acted on its own volition before being forced into taking actions by advocacy groups or government regulations. Link

Author: Don Roy

Don Roy is a marketing educator, blogger, and author. His thirty-year career began with roles in retail management, B2B sales, and franchise management. For the past 27 years, Don has shared his passion for marketing as a marketing professor. Don's teaching and research interests include brands, sports marketing, and social media marketing. Don has authored over 20 articles in scholarly journals, co-authored two textbooks, and self-published three books on personal branding. Don is an avid hockey fan and enjoys running. He and his wife, Sara, have three sons. View all posts by Don Roy