FDA Announces PFAS Used in Grease-Proofing Agents for Food Packaging No Longer Being Sold in the U.S.
February 28, 2024
Dear International Colleague,
Today, the FDA announced that grease-proofing substances containing Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are no longer being sold by manufacturers for food contact use in the U.S. market. The completion of the voluntary market phase-out of these substances used on food packaging paper and paperboard, eliminates the primary source of dietary exposure to PFAS from authorized food contact uses.
PFAS are a diverse group of thousands of chemicals that resist grease, oil, water, and heat. The FDA has authorized certain PFAS for limited use in cookware, food packaging, and food processing equipment. Exposure to some types of PFAS have been linked to serious health effects. The FDA helps to safeguard the food supply by evaluating the use of chemicals as food ingredients and substances that come into contact with food, such as through food packaging, storage, or other handling, to ensure these uses are safe.
To protect public health, in 2020, following our post-market safety assessment, the FDA obtained commitments from manufacturers to cease sales for food contact use in the U.S. of grease-proofing substances that contain certain types of PFAS. Today’s announcement marks the fulfillment of these voluntary commitments. In addition, the FDA has confirmed that other manufacturers have voluntarily stopped sales of other food contact substances (which contain different types of PFAS) intended for use as grease-proofing agents in the U.S.
Grease-proofing substances are applied on paper and paperboard packaging to prevent the leaking of grease and oil, and for water-resistant properties. The substances containing PFAS were applied to fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, take-out paperboard containers, pet food bags, as well as other similar types of packaging. While the original commitment letters received by the FDA from the manufacturers state that paper and paperboard products containing these food contact substances could take 18 months to exhaust the market supply from the last date of sale, most of the companies have exited the market prior to their original phase-out date. In addition, the FDA is working toward a validated analytical method that would allow us to monitor the market for these food contact substances in food packaging.
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.
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