If you are sipping coffee at Starbucks, nibbling on McNuggets, or picking up a sweaters at Marshall’s, you are shopping at one of the retailers that earned an “F” in Mind the Store’s recently released 2019 Retailer Report Card.

Fourteen brands earned this grade for their failure to make even the most basic commitments to removing toxic chemicals from their products and packaging.  This is the 4th year the Mind the Store has released its report card, which evaluates store products to determine whether they contain hazardous chemicals .

A lack of rigorous oversight in the United States means that chemicals linked to serious health harm often find their way into consumer products.  AHT is working with Safer Chemicals Healthy Families on the Mind the Store Campaign, which organizes consumers to pressure major national chains to eliminate toxic chemicals in their products and stores.

The campaign is working. Just this past year, we convinced Whole Foods Market and Ahold Delhaize to eliminate PFAS in their food packaging.  We pushed hardware stores across the country to stop selling paint strippers with methylene chloride.  Ace Hardware and Lowe’s have committed to stop seeling rugs with PFAS and we helped convince  Massachusetts-based Staples to commit to a store-wide safer chemicals policy.  Click here to read this year’s report card.