Statement
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bryan Goodman (202) 997-1606
Email: [email protected]
February 1, 2017
Recent Attention on a Broad Class of Fluorinated Chemistry in Food
Packaging is Unfounded and Unnecessary, Say Experts
Food Contact Materials Already Meet Strict Regulatory Standards
Washington, DC – February 1, 2017 – In response to a new analysis that was released today
about the use of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) in food packaging materials, the
FluoroCouncil, the global industry group representing major manufacturers of fluorinated
chemistries, released the following statement:
“Without further examination of the data, it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions
about the nature and source of the compounds that were detected in this particular study. It is
important to note, however, that the major manufacturers of fluorinated chemistries in the U.S.,
EU and Japan have stopped manufacturing the older, long-chain fluorinated chemistries, such as
PFOA and PFOS, which have been the chemicals of concern to regulators.
“There are now specific, modern, short-chain PFAS chemicals that have been carefully reviewed
and approved for use in coating food-contact papers to keep grease, oil and moisture from
seeping through the packaging. So to find these chemistries in these products is neither
surprising nor alarming, as long as they are approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
“Because use of short-chain PFASs in food packaging is highly and rigorously regulated, any
further regulation of modern-day short-chain food packaging materials is unnecessary and would
provide no further benefits to human health or the environment.”