NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - In a move that will seriously reduce the amount of trans fat in its food, Wendy's said Thursday it will be cooking its french fries and breaded chicken items in non-hydrogenated oil.

"Quite simply, Wendy's removal of artery-clogging partially hydrogenated oils from its deep-fryers will make its French fries and fried chicken healthier than similar foods at [its] competitors," Michael Jacobson, director of the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, said in a statement. "Its action proves that other restaurants, big or small, have no excuse for continuing to impair their customers' health by using partially hydrogenated oil."

The switch in cooking oil, slated to happen in August, will cut the amount of trans fatty acids in a small order of fries from 5 grams to 0.5, according to a Wendy's statement. An order of chicken strips will go from 3 grams of trans fatty acids to zero.

"We've been diligently working to reduce the trans fat levels in our food without jeopardizing the great taste our customers expect," Kerrii Anderson, Wendy's interim chief executive officer, said in a statement.

A Wendy's spokesman said the restaurant chain had been working with different blends of non-hydrogenated oils for two years in an attempt to find one that tasted the same to consumers. He also said the new oil doesn't cost any more than the one currently in use.

Trans fat is made when companies add hydrogen to their cooking oil in a bid to make their food taste better and extend its shelf life, according to the Food and Drug Administration's Web site.

Consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol all raise the amount of "bad" cholesterol in a person's body, the FDA said.

Unlike unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), which the FDA says are beneficial when consumed in moderation, the agency says people should eat as little saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol as possible, although it recognizes that eliminating it from a diet entirely is not practical as it is found in many types of food.

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