NEW YORK (AP) -- After two years of secret taste tests, KFC said yesterday it would stop frying chicken in artery-clogging trans fats, but New York City restaurants being urged to do the same say it's not so easy.

KFC's announcement, which won praise from consumer advocates, came an hour ahead of a public hearing on a proposal that would make New York the first U.S. city to ban the unhealthy artificial fats.

Industry leaders dished up a plateful of reasons why such a plan shouldn't be adopted in the nation's restaurant capital.

The move would be a "recipe for disaster that could be devastating to New York City's restaurant industry," said E. Charles Hunt, executive vice president of the New York State Restaurant Association.

The shift by KFC and a handful of other fast food chains - and the effort by New York health officials - mark an aggressive crackdown on an ingredient that is consumed in large doses around the country.