Restaurant Brands International (RBI) says that it will ban toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in food packaging globally by 2025. RBI—which owns Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons—reportedly is one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with 27,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
RBI states: “As a next step in our product stewardship journey, the Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes brands have required that any added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) be phased out from all approved, guest-facing packaging materials globally by the end of 2025 or sooner.” More details are available on the company’s website under “Eliminating Added PFAS.”
RBI’s announcement follows a multi-year campaign to phase out PFAS from retail food packaging, led by Toxic-Free Future. Their actions come nearly one year after restaurant competitors made similar commitments, including McDonald’s and Wendy’s following Toxic-Free Future’s 2018 and 2020 reports testing food packaging materials, including wrappers from Burger King. The announcement also comes on the same day as a Consumer Reports study that tested the packaging of dozens of major fast food chains including Burger King. Health advocates nationwide have urged RBI to take action against PFAS in its food packaging since the release of the 2020 investigation that found indications of PFAS in Burger King’s Whopper packaging, among other products.
“This new commitment from Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons is the latest nail in the coffin for PFAS in food packaging,” says Mike Schade, director of Mind the Store, a program of Toxic-Free Future. “We appreciate Burger King taking this critical action following our campaign efforts. But there’s no time to waste in phasing out PFAS. Toxic pollution from these forever chemicals has been impacting customers and frontline communities for far too long. Retailers like Burger King should eliminate these chemicals by 2023 and ensure substitutes are safe and reusable.”
For more information, visit: www.toxicfreefuture.org
