RESTAURANTS

McDonald’s Tests New Environmental Packaging: Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s Corp. said it is testing a new kind of biodegradable packaging that is made mostly of potato starch, water and calcium carbonate. McDonald’s Quarter Pounder With Cheese sandwiches are slated to be served in the new containers at its Las Vegas restaurants. The product, made by EarthShell Corp. of Santa Barbara, will decompose in a backyard compost pile or a commercial composting plant. Or it can be tossed in a kitchen blender with water and added to the soil. Once crushed or broken, the product will dissolve in water. EarthShell says its packaging is tougher than polystyrene and paper and insulates better. Earth-shell is a subsidiary of EKI, a privately held materials science research and development company.