McDonald’s Recalls Shrek Glasses Containing Cadmium

After realizing that about 12 million “Shrek Forever After 3D” Collectable Drinking Glasses contain cadmium, McDonald’s is recalling those glasses. Consumers should stop using the Shrek glasses immediately. The glasses were manufactured by ARC International, of Millville, NJ. and were only sold at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from May 2010 into June 2010 for about $2.

The colorful designs on the outside of the glasses contain cadmium. While they are not supposed to be chewed, it can still happen, especially if younger children "work" on these glasses. Cadmium can cause negative health effects, especially if the cadmium exposure goes over a longer time period. In this case, the potential danger would be the long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium.

McDonald’s said it was asking customers to stop using the glasses “out of an abundance of caution.”

Long term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects. So far no injuries have been reported, as the time of exposure has obviously not been long enough.



The “Shrek Forever After 3D” collectable drinking glass are 16 ounce glasses that came in four designs, Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey.

McDonald’s is asking consumers to immediately stop using the glasses. Consumers can visit www.mcdonalds.com/glasses for additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund. For additional information, contact McDonald’s toll-free at (800) 244-6227 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission learned about the problems related to the Shrek glasses through the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier from California.