Five Chemicals will not be Used for Food Packaging in the United States

The United States Congress has proposed to amend a bill, adding substances including PFAS, ortho-phthalates, bisphenols, styrene, and antimony trioxide as unsafe for use in food contact materials.

As an increasing number of states have enacted their own regulations on food safety, the House of Representatives has proposed to introduce an Act cited as the “No Toxic in Food Packaging Act of 2023” on October 26. The Act aims to federally prohibit the use of certain compounds in Food Contact Materials(FCMs). Notably, there is an overlap with restrictions outlined in the previously introduced U.S. Plastic Act. After several rounds of intense debate, the Congress ultimately decided to designate the following substances deemed unsafe for use as food contact substances in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which comes into effect two years after the date of enactment of this Act.

1. Any chemical belonging to the class of ortho-phthalates;

2. “PFAS” means a perfluoroalkyl substance or a polyfluoroalkyl substance that is man-made with at least 1 fully fluorinated carbon atom;

3. Bisphenol A, B, S, F, or AF or related compounds;

4. Styrene; an important organic compound used in synthetic resin, ion-exchange resin, and synthetic rubber;

5. Antimony(III) oxide, commonly used in daily life as a flame retardant due to its ability to extinguish flames, has been classified as a Group 2B carcinogenicity (probably carcinogenic to humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Background

In our daily life, thousands of synthetic chemicals are used in the production of food contact materials. The mentioned chemicals have been scientifically proven to elevate the risk of allergies and breast cancer. Given that an increasing scientific evidence reveals its urgency, researchers and healthcare professionals are vigilantly addressing the issue of toxic chemicals in food packaging.

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Further Information

Official Notice