[Blog] CA bill to ensure safer food packaging passes in Assembly

By Avinash Kar & Anna Reade | NRDC | April 22, 2021

Read the full article by Avinash Kar & Anna Reade (NRDC)

“The California Assembly took another step to protect Californians from toxic, ‘forever’ PFAS chemicals by passing Assembly Bill 1200 (Ting) today. AB 1200 would help make our food and our environment safer by banning the use of toxic, ‘forever’ PFAS chemicals in food-packaging made from plant-derived fibers, building on food packaging legislation passed last year in New York and last year’s passage of SB 1044 in California, phasing out PFAS in firefighting foam. The bill would also require disclosure of the use of chemicals like PFAS and bisphenols (BPA, BPS, etc.) in cookware such as pots and pans. Finally, the bill would ban misleading claims on cookware such as ‘PFOA-free’ or ‘BPA-free’ when other chemicals in the same chemical family have been used on the products.

PFAS are a large class of man-made chemicals (including thousands of individual chemicals) used widely in industrial processes and consumer products such as non-stick cookware and food packaging, clothing, carpets, and cosmetics for their water resistant and grease resistant properties. Unfortunately, PFAS do not break down, can spread quickly through the environment and are associated with a long list of harmful health effects, including cancer, immune system suppression (including interference with vaccine response), and adverse developmental effects. Independent scientists and authoritative bodies, including California’s Department of Toxic Substance Control, have concluded that PFAS, as a class, pose a serious environmental and public health threat…”

This content provided by the PFAS Project.