Sens. Maggie Hassan and Tommy Tuberville propose a bill to bar food packaging with intentionally added PFAS from interstate commerce starting Jan. 1, 2028, and authorize FDA enforcement. The grease-proofing phaseout was voluntary; trace contamination would remain exempt.
The FDA said in February 2024 that PFAS grease-proofing materials were no longer sold for U.S. food packaging after voluntary industry action. In January 2025, it declared 35 authorizations for the substances no longer effective and gave companies until June 30, 2025, to use existing stocks. The bill would not address PFAS reaching food through environmental contamination and does not define which products count as food packaging.
A USDA study published in January tested 66 paper and plastic packages for chicken, pork, beef and catfish from Philadelphia-area grocery stores. At least one PFAS was detected in 64% at very low levels, with no evidence of migration into food. The FDA has not published comparable data for human food packaging since the June 2025 stock-use deadline.
