Viral food claims, fact-checked

“Glyphosate was found in 100% of top fast food chains”

One 2023 advocacy test did report glyphosate in every brand. Levels ranged from about 5 to 439 ppb, while US legal limits on grains are around 30,000 ppb. It was 1 to 3 samples per chain, not peer-reviewed, and nobody has re-tested since.

“Popeyes food tested very high for glyphosate”

Popeyes was in the 2023 test pool, but no Popeyes-specific result appears in the published report. Posts naming a figure for Popeyes don't cite one.

“Starbucks coffee is full of pesticides and herbicides”

We found no published pesticide test of Starbucks coffee. The active lawsuit concerns solvent residues in one decaf blend. A 2025 test of 45 unnamed coffee brands found only trace glyphosate, though AMPA, a glyphosate breakdown product, was common.

“Starbucks cups release 25,000 microplastics into hot coffee”

The figure comes from an Indian lab study of generic paper cups holding hot water for 15 minutes, not Starbucks cups. A 2025 University of Birmingham study did find more microplastics in hot drinks from to-go cups (about 43 particles per litre), without naming the chains.

“Starbucks matcha has a contamination problem”

The 2026 lawsuit is about "sugar-free" matcha and protein lattes that contain 13 to 21 g of sugar. We found no published contaminant test of Starbucks matcha.

“BHA and BHT are banned in the EU, Canada and Japan”

Both are permitted in the EU as E320 and E321, with limits. This claim gets copied from listicle to listicle without a source.

Basis: Primary text: Regulation (EC) 1333/2008, Annex II

“Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 are banned in Europe”

They're allowed, but foods using them must carry a warning that they may affect activity and attention in children. The US FDA is pushing a voluntary phase-out by the end of 2026.

Basis: Regulation (EC) 1333/2008, Annex V · source 17

Sources:[17] akingump.com (opens in a new tab)

“Glyphosate is banned in the EU”

The EU renewed its approval until 15 Dec 2033. Only some countries and cities restrict it locally.

Basis: Source 33

Sources:[33] nfuonline.com (opens in a new tab)

“Azodicarbonamide is banned everywhere except the US”

China and Canada both allow it at the same 45 ppm limit as the US. It's banned in the EU, UK, Australia/NZ and Singapore.

Basis: Sources 9 and 10

Sources:[9] policycanary.io (opens in a new tab)[10] food.chemlinked.com (opens in a new tab)