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New Jersey Passes Ban on PFAS in Food Packaging

takeout containers — Image credit: Freepik

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed into law the Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act, which prohibits statewide the manufacture and sale of certain consumer goods—including food packaging and single-use food contact materials—that contain intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Cookware manufactured with intentionally added PFAS will also be required to carry warning labels when sold in the state.

Penalties for violating the law can reach up to $25,000. It goes into effect January 2028.

The act also allocates $5 million to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to research, monitor, and remediate PFAS in the environment.

The PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Problem

PFAS are a class of chemicals used for industrial purposes and in a wide range of consumer products, including, but not limited to, food packaging and nonstick cookware. Often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their inability to break down in the human body or environment over time, PFAS are subject to increasing scrutiny due to the growing body of evidence demonstrating their pervasiveness, harms to human health, and accumulation in water, air, soil, animals, food, and people.

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Bailee Henderson is the Director of Content Strategy for Food Safety Magazine. In the day-to-day, she covers industry-relevant current events, regulatory affairs, and scientific developments. She also produces the Food Safety Five Newsreel, edits the twice-weekly Food Safety Digest newsletter, and manages the brand's social media channels. Notably, Bailee's coverage for Food Safety Magazine has been featured in national televised news segments including CBS Sunday Morning and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show. She can be reached at hendersonb@bnpmedia.com.