New York Ban On PFAS In Food Packaging Is Now Law

December 8, 2020

Read the full article in the National Law Review

"In August 2020, we flagged that New York took a significant step in becoming the third state in the country to ban the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging. At the time, the legislation (S.8817 and A.4739-C) was passed by the New York State Legislature, but had not been signed into law by Governor Cuomo. On December 3, 2020, Governor Cuomo took the final step and signed the PFAS food packaging ban it into law, joining Maine and Washington in banning the use of PFAS in food packaging. The bill broadly bans the use of all PFAS, a class of over 7,000 chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS, and GenX. This is significant, as the vast majority of PFAS remain unstudied for their potential impact to human health. In addition, the bill prohibits anyone from “distributing, selling, or offering for sale” any food in packaging that contains PFAS. This ban goes into effect in 2023."