Fast food has always come with trade-offs. Speed over care. Convenience over control. Now there’s another one to factor in. New data shows that some of the most popular fast food items in the U.S. contain strikingly high levels of plastic-related chemicals linked to the way food is processed, packaged, and handled.
The analysis, reported by Newsweek, draws from PlasticList, a public database tracking chemical contamination in food. Researchers focused on phthalates, chemicals used to make plastics more flexible. Because they aren’t tightly bound to plastic, they can migrate into food during processing, packaging, or transport. Chronic exposure has been linked in multiple studies to endocrine disruption, reproductive harm, developmental issues, and increased disease risk.
David Andrews, acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, told Newsweek that these chemicals continue to show up because they’re still legally allowed. “Phthalates are still being detected in food and specifically in fast food and ultra-processed food because the FDA has not banned the use of these chemicals despite mounting evidence of human health harm,” he said.
Here are the fast food items with the highest plastic-chemical levels, according to PlasticList data.
1. Taco Bell Cantina Chicken Burrito
This item topped the database for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, with more than 14,000 nanograms per serving. That level ranked higher than over 90 percent of foods tested. It also contained elevated levels of dimethyl phthalate.
2. McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese
The burger showed high levels of diisobutyl phthalate and extremely high levels of bis(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate, or DEHT, measuring over 400,000 nanograms per serving.
3. Burger King Whopper with Cheese
This one stood out for DEHT, with measurements reaching into the millions of nanograms per serving, among the highest recorded in the database. It also showed elevated di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate.
4. Burger King Chicken Nuggets
The nuggets contained multiple plastic chemicals at elevated levels, reflecting how heavily processed foods tend to accumulate contamination across multiple steps.
5. Wendy’s Burgers
Several Wendy’s burgers ranked near the top for DEHT and DEHA, again measuring in the millions of nanograms per serving.
6. Shake Shack Cheeseburgers and Vanilla Shakes
Shake Shack’s burgers showed DEHP levels higher than most foods tested, while the vanilla shakes contained notable DEHA levels.
Why fast food shows up so consistently comes down to exposure points. Phthalates are used throughout industrial food systems, from tubing and gloves to packaging and machinery. Susanne Brander, a professor at Oregon State University, explained to Newsweek that because these chemicals aren’t chemically locked into plastic, they can leach out easily.
Highly processed foods also tend to move through more equipment and packaging, increasing contact along the way. As Rolf Halden of Arizona State University told Newsweek, that complexity raises the likelihood of contamination.
Avoiding every plastic exposure isn’t realistic. Even experts acknowledge that. What these findings underline is something bigger than individual choice. Fast food reflects a system built on plastic at nearly every step, and until that system changes, exposure remains part of the deal.
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