"Wendy’s, States Ditch Food Wrappers With ‘Forever Chemicals’"

"Fast-food restaurants and grocery store chains are joining a growing number of states in pushing “forever chemicals” out of food packaging, despite a federal thumbs-up that allows PFAS to touch what people eat.

Burger wrappings, salad bowls, pet food bags, and other packaging use some of the chemicals in the PFAS family to repel oil and grease. Companies also use per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to protect food-processing equipment from heat and other stressors.

But some PFAS don’t break down in the environment, and their links to health problems ranging from high cholesterol to cancer have triggered alarms across the U.S. and abroad.

Denmark, Maine, New York, Washington, and Vermont already banned PFAS from food packaging, while Minnesota, New York, and Connecticut have purchasing policies barring packaging with the chemicals. California, Minnesota, and Maryland are considering phase-out laws and/or developing regulations."

Pat Rizzuto reports for Bloomberg Environment June 3, 2021.

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 06/04/2021