Undesirable compounds in fast-food packaging

3.4.2017

Question for written answer E-002455-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Jean-François Jalkh (ENF)

On 30 March, the ‘UFC-Que Choisir’ association published a study on fast-food packaging that revealed the presence of per-fluorinated compounds (PFCs) in nearly half of the analysed examples. Some sixty non-plastic packaging samples from large fast-food companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Starbucks were tested.

Certain components of these PFCs have, since 2009, been considered by the Stockholm Convention as potentially carcinogenic and likely to disrupt endocrine systems, while for others insufficient data are available to enable health authorities to establish their toxicity. Not only is the presence of these substances highly deplorable, the level in itself is excessive, exceeding the maximum dose recommended by food-safety authorities several thousand times in certain cases.

In the absence of in-depth studies of these substances, no Europe-wide legislation exists to limit their use in non-plastic packaging in contact with foodstuffs.

Could the Commission propose a plan of action based on exhaustive studies to establish strict control of, or even to ban, these harmful substances?