Burger King, Chick-fil-A Among Major Chains to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Food Packaging

Your final hamburger order might have include an surprising facet of poisonous chemical substances.

A study printed final week by Shopper Studies indicated that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, generally referred to as PFAS or “perpetually chemical substances,” are current in meals packaging from main quick meals and grocery chains.

Shopper Studies examined 118 meals packaging merchandise, together with baggage for French fries and molded fiber bowls for salads. The researchers discovered PFAS in some packaging from each retailer included within the research, even those that promote more healthy practices reminiscent of Dealer Joe’s and Cava.

Almost a 3rd of the merchandise had been discovered to have excessive ranges of PFAS. In some situations, the researchers detected PFAS in corporations’ meals packaging even after they’d promised to section them out.

In response to the findings, Restaurant Manufacturers Worldwide (RBI), which owns Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes, announced that it’ll section out PFAS from its packaging worldwide by the tip of 2025. Chick-fil-A introduced the same commitment on Twitter, saying it has eradicated “deliberately added PFAS from all newly produced packaging” and can section out all legacy packing by the tip of this summer season.

PFAS publicity is linked to a growing list of health problems, reminiscent of impaired kidney and thyroid perform, an elevated danger of growing a number of cancers, discount of birthweight, immune system suppression, and extra.

“We’re happy that Burger King and Chick-fil-A plan to section out using poisonous PFAS chemical substances within the packaging they use for his or her menu gadgets,” Brian Ronholm, director of meals coverage at Shopper Studies, mentioned in a statement. Ronholm mentioned he hopes these choices will immediate different meals chains will “make a dedication to guard public well being” by ending using PFAS.

How Did PFAS Wind Up in Meals Packaging?

Meals corporations typically depend on PFAS in paper or cardboard merchandise as a result of the oil- and heat-resistant properties of the chemical substances assist bowls and baggage preserve their form when loaded up with scorching or greasy meals.

Almost a 3rd of the merchandise examined by Shopper Studies had complete natural fluorine ranges above 20 components per million (ppm), and nearly a fifth had ranges higher than 100 ppm. An sufficient restrict for PFAS ranges is 20 ppm, however producers ought to at all times try for decrease ranges, in response to Shopper Studies.

Whereas the research doesn’t characterize all of the meals packaging from every firm, it offers an excellent sense of which chains are nonetheless counting on PFAS. A number of the merchandise with the very best PFAS ranges embrace an Arby’s paper bag for cookies, a Cava fiber tray for youths’ meals, McDonald’s paper French fries bag, and Sweetgreen’s bag for focaccia.

Nathan’s Well-known had merchandise with the very best common ranges of PFAS, with Chick-fil-A following shut behind.

Even corporations that declare to be phasing out PFAS in sure merchandise—reminiscent of Chipotle, Panera Bread, and Entire Meals Market—nonetheless had detectable natural fluorine in these gadgets. A number of of those corporations mentioned they did not deliberately add PFAS to their merchandise, however the chemical substances wind up there as a consequence of contamination in manufacturing and using recycled merchandise that had been initially made with PFAS, in response to the report.

“To the individual that finally ends up consuming the meals that’s contaminated with these PFAS, it doesn’t matter whether or not it was intentional or unintentional—the result’s going to be the identical,” Evans mentioned. “I perceive that that represents a problem. However that doesn’t imply that these producers and the businesses which might be utilizing these packaging merchandise which might be contaminated with PFAS don’t have a accountability to concentrate to this, to be vigilant about it, and likewise to be clear.”

PFAS Laws Are Needed

Present exams can detect about 30 particular PFAS compounds. Shopper Studies researchers sampled a portion of merchandise and located that lower than 1% of meals packaging with natural fluorine was discovered to include one among these well-known compounds.

Sydney Evans, a science analyst at Environmental Working Group, informed Verywell that the absence of those compounds means that producers could also be changing sure PFAS with different fluorinated compounds. These “regrettable substitutions” should not as nicely studied however may be simply as detrimental to human well being, she mentioned.

Advocates for regulating PFAS preserve that it’s necessary to outlaw using the entire class of chemical substances, moderately than singling out particular chemical substances.

In 2020, a cohort of scientists printed a press release warning of the well being harms that may come up when poisonous chemical substances from meals packaging migrate into meals and are digested by people. The migration of those chemical substances from the package deal into the meals is very possible when the meals is fatty, salty, or acidic.

“Including PFAS to meals packaging additionally releases these chemical substances into the atmosphere throughout manufacturing and when the packaging is thrown away,” Rebecca Fuoco, MPH, spokesperson for Inexperienced Science Coverage Institute, mentioned in an e-mail to Verywell. “Cleansing up contamination might be costly and take many years or extra, if it’s even doable.” 

Regardless of figuring out PFAS in most of the meals packaging samples, the researchers additionally famous that a number of of the merchandise had ranges beneath the 20 ppm threshold. This means some meals corporations have discovered appropriate options to switch the poisonous chemical substances.

“PFAS in meals packaging is used for grease resistance, which is a matter of comfort, not necessity,” Fuoco mentioned. “There are non-fluorinated options for grease- and water-resistance that many corporations are already utilizing, like packaging with wax or clay coatings.”

Subsequent Steps for Minimizing PFAS Publicity

Advocacy organizations, notably Toxic-Free Future, have been pushing for RBI to ban PFAS for years. Different fast-food corporations, together with Wendy’s and McDonald’s, have already banned PFAS from their merchandise.

Shopper Studies launched a petition calling on Arby’s and Nathan’s—the businesses with the very best common ranges of natural fluorine in these exams—to cease utilizing PFAS of their meals wrappers.

Beginning subsequent 12 months, California will restrict the allowable PFAS in meals packaging to lower than 100 ppm complete natural fluorine. Different states, together with Washington, New York, Maine, and Vermont, will equally phase out PFAS in meals packaging by the tip of subsequent 12 months.

Evans mentioned she is inspired to see states and native governments setting allowable PFAS limits. Nonetheless, “a pair states isn’t sufficient—we have to see that on a nationwide stage,” she mentioned.

The Environmental Safety Company mentioned final 12 months that it might take steps to reign in manufacturing of and contamination by PFAS in consuming water. The company laid out a roadmap to set enforceable PFAS limits, however well being and environmental advocates said at the time that the plan wasn’t practically stringent and broad sufficient to deal with the difficulty.

“Sadly, PFAS are so ubiquitous that it’s not an issue you’ll be able to store your means out of,” Fuoco mentioned. “It’s an unimaginable burden for shoppers, which is why we’d like the federal government and trade to behave.”