Restaurant chain

McDonald's lab tests and lawsuits

By Rashad Bayram · Published 29 Oct 2026 · Last updated 29 Oct 2026

Low glyphosate in the 2023 advocacy test; PFAS found in some 2022 packaging; two PFAS suits and E. coli litigation.

Lab findings: 2
Cases: 2
Open: 0
Viral claims checked: 0

Lab findings

Tested	Who tested	Item	Substance	Result	Sources
Oct 2023	Moms Across AmericaAdvocacy test	Meal	Glyphosate	5.58 ppbAdvocacy group test of 42 samples from 21 chains, run by Health Research Institute. Not peer-reviewed; 1 to 3 samples per chain. For scale, US legal limits for glyphosate on grains are in parts per million, e.g. 30 ppm (30,000 ppb) for oats and wheat.	[37]
Mar 2022	Consumer ReportsConsumer organization	Fry and McNugget bags	PFAS (packaging)	Over 100 ppm organic fluorineConsumer Reports tested 118 packaging items from 24 chains and grocers for total organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS. California has capped it at 100 ppm since 2023; Denmark uses 20 ppm. Packaging may have changed since.	[46]

Lawsuits and enforcement

PFAS (packaging) · Consumer class action

McDonald's

Clark v. McDonald's (and McDowell v. McDonald's)US District Court, S.D. Illinois, transferred to N.D. IllinoisFiled 28 Mar 2022

Alleges McDonald's packaging exposed customers to PFAS despite its food-safety pledges. A near-identical suit (McDowell) was filed in N.D. Illinois two days later. No physical injury alleged.

Latest: In 2023 the court moved the case to N.D. Illinois without ruling on dismissal. Later outcome not verified.

Sources:[43] packaginginsights.com (opens in a new tab)[44] studicata.com (opens in a new tab)

Outcome not verified

Filed
Motion stage (current stage)
Proceeding
Closed

Pathogen (E. coli) · Personal injury and class action

McDonald's (and Taylor Farms)

Quarter Pounder E. coli outbreak suitsVarious, incl. US District Court, N.D. IllinoisMultipleFiled 23 Oct 2024

The CDC counted 104 cases, 34 hospitalizations and 1 death in 14 states (Sep–Oct 2024), likely from slivered onions supplied by Taylor Farms. Individual suits and a proposed class action followed.

Latest: Outcome not verified.

Sources:[47] en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)