Toxic chemicals are showing up in the wrappers of America’s favorite burgers. In 2020, consumer advocates released a report finding that several of the nation’s largest fast food chains — McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s — all had packaging with elevated levels of fluorine, indicating treatment with chemicals called PFAS. PFAS are a class of synthetic chemicals that can lead to serious health impacts — including cancer, hormone disruption, and reproductive and developmental harm. Their presence in food packaging is alarming.

PFAS compounds do not break down in the environment, earning them the nickname “forever chemicals.” PFAS build up in soils, water, and our bodies as we are continually exposed. Public health advocates have called particular alarm to exposure in drinking water. Consumers are also exposed to PFAS chemicals through a variety of consumer goods, from weather-resistant clothing, to furniture and carpeting, and even dental floss. PFAS are currently so ubiquitous in our daily products that biomonitoring has found PFAS present in the bodies of nearly all tested Americans. 

Given the immense potential for harm to human health and the environment, and the increasing negative attention to PFAS by consumers, academics, and media, investors are turning to food companies to take action to end the use of PFAS in food packaging to minimize risk. As You Sow and First Affirmative co-filed a shareholder resolution in December asking McDonald’s to report on the public health risks related to chemicals used in food packaging, highlighting concerns around PFAS treatment.

Following the publicity surrounding the product testing report, growing consumer concern about PFAS, and our engagement with the company, McDonald’s demonstrated leadership by announcing the global phase-out of PFAS from its packaging by 2025. We agreed to withdraw our resolution following this      commitment. To reduce future harm, we have also asked the company to investigate its chemical risks more broadly and establish a plan for reducing its total chemical footprint, including preventing use of another toxic packaging material in the place of PFAS.

Investors are now looking to Burger King and Wendy’s to follow suit in committing to eliminate chemical-treated food packaging. With a growing number of lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers for the pollution of communities and waterways, the writing is on the wall for the future use of these chemicals. Rather than waiting for regulations to catch up to science, companies must proactively investigate, report on, and reduce chemical risks in their businesses.