More restaurants seek to drop PFAS, but options are few

Abstract

A new group of restaurants, including Chick-fil-A , Nathan’s Famous , Starbucks , and Restaurant Brands International —which owns Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes—is promising to reduce the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging. The commitments follow testing by Consumer Reports that found the chemicals in salad containers, bags of french fries, and other materials from two dozen restaurants and grocery stores. A number of other restaurants, including McDonald’s, Panera Bread, Sweetgreen, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s, previously made similar commitments after being pressured by advocacy groups like Mind the Store. PFAS are often used as a cheap way to fortify paper containers because they excel at repelling the moisture and oil from a juicy burger or hot fries. But some PFAS can pose health risks to diners, and they’re highly resistant to environmental degradation. Alternative packaging materials , without added PFAS, are generally less functional