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.