McDonald’s shuns group of chemicals
In a victory for health and environmental safety advocates, the world’s largest fast-food chain has promised to stop using potentially harmful chemicals in its packaging.
McDonald’s this week announced that it will remove all PFAS per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from wrappers, containers and any other packaging served to guests by 2025.
PFAS are chemicals used in some food packaging to make it grease-resistant. They have been linked to high cholesterol, kidney and liver problems, low birth weight and cancer.
PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” take a long time to break down and can accumulate in the environment, drinking water and human body. When PFAS are used in food packaging, the chemicals can leach from the packaging into the food and from the discarded packaging into the environment.
The changes come after a study conducted by environmental advocacy groups found high levels of the toxin in food wrappers and containers used at some of the country’s biggest fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King.
McDonalds is the first major U.S. fast-food chain to announce
a global ban of toxic chemicals in food packaging. In July, companies that manufacture foodcontact products agreed to phase out PFAS.