FDA Announces Completion of PFAS Phase-Out on Food Packaging

The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that certain PFAS substances will no longer be used on food packaging in the U.S. PFAS chemicals are often used on items like pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, and microwave popcorn bags to resist grease or other moisture from seeping through.

Other state and local governments, most recently Minnesota, have introduced legislation to limit PFAS chemicals on packaging as well as apparel.

In a Feb. 28 statement, the FDA announced that substances containing PFAS chemicals "are no longer being sold by manufacturers for food contact use in the U.S. market," and that a voluntary phase-out from some companies has been underway since 2020, and is now complete.

Today, FDA is announcing that grease-proofing materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are no longer being sold for use in food packaging in the U.S. 

This means the major source of dietary exposure to PFAS from food packaging like fast-food wrappers,… pic.twitter.com/Mh3961ka8P

— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) February 28, 2024

"In addition, FDA is working towards a validated analytical method that would allow us to monitor the market for these food contact substances in food packaging," the FDA statement says. "As part of our commitment to food chemical safety and our reevaluation of chemicals authorized for use in food, we will continue to conduct our post-market safety evaluations to ensure that our risk determinations continue to be accurate and based in the current science."

While this is all done on a voluntary basis in an effort to remove the harmful chemicals from food packaging, 12 states have already moved to phase out or fully ban PFAS chemicals from the marketplace, according to CNN.

"This 'win' for public health is the result o FDA research and leadership, combined with cooperation from industry," FDA deputy commissioner for human foods Jim Jones said, according to CNN.

While there are no companies that currently have FDA approval to continue using PFAS chemicals in food packaging, there will still be a transition period where some products currently in circulation will contain PFAS. Jones reportedly said that it could take "some months" before all of the products are gone from the market.

For promotional products distributors and printers whose product offerings include things like boxes for food or wrappers, this is a major shift in the industry landscape on par with environmental changes in apparel or drinkware.