Group Wants U.S. Congress To Ban 'Forever Chemicals' From Food Packaging

The next time you order takeout at a restaurant, there is a chance it will include a side order of toxic forever chemicals.

Photo Insert: PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they are resistant to breaking down naturally in the environment, and can remain in people’s bodies for years.

That’s because many restaurant chains wrap their food in packaging made with PFAS, a dangerous class of chemicals linked to increased risk for some cancers, lower birth weight, and immune system suppression, Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, stressed in a column for Food Safety News (FSN).

PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they are resistant to breaking down naturally in the environment, and can remain in people’s bodies for years. In fact, a recent peer-reviewed study by Toxic Free Future and the University of Washington found PFAS in every sample of breast milk from fifty mothers in the Seattle area.

Over the past few years, Toxic-Free Future conducted several studies on PFAS in food packaging and led a campaign to convince chain restaurants and grocery stores to stop using packaging made with PFAS that has won commitments from more than twenty corporations to phase out their use.

But we can’t just depend on voluntary measures when it comes to protecting public health. It’s time for Congress to take action by passing The Keep Food Containers Safe From PFAS Act, which would prohibit the intentional use of PFAS in food packaging.

Of the 118 products Consumer Reports tested, almost a third (37) had PFAS levels above 20 parts per million (ppm), a limit set by Denmark to protect public health, while 22 products had levels surpassing 100 ppm, which would be banned under a new California law set to go into effect in 2023.

Nathan’s Famous had the products with the two highest average readings – 876 ppm and 618 ppm for paper bags used for sides. Other food wrappers with particularly high levels included cookie bags from Burger King (345.7 ppm), cookie bags from Arby’s (457.5 ppm), and a sandwich wrapper at Chick-fil-A (553.5 ppm).

This follows three separate studies published by Toxic-Free Future in 2018, 2019, and 2020 that found indications of PFAS in the packaging of McDonald’s Big Mac, Burger King’s Whopper, and in take-out containers at Whole Foods Market and Sweetgreen.

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