Bill bans PFAS chemicals in food packaging starting 2028.
S. 5516 — Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act of 2026 · Filed by Maggie Hassan (D-NH) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Sep 24, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill stops companies from putting PFAS in food packaging. PFAS are chemicals that make packaging resist grease and water. The ban starts January 1, 2028. Food packaging sold across state lines cannot have PFAS. Companies have 16 months to change how they make packaging.
Who it affects
Food companies and packaging makers must stop using PFAS. Consumers eat food in this packaging. The rule applies to all food packaging sold across state lines.
One thing to notice
The law only bans PFAS that companies add on purpose. It does not cover PFAS from accidents or recycled materials.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Sep 24, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Sep 24, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- PFAS — Chemicals that make packaging resist grease and water. They stay in the environment and in human blood.
- food packaging — Containers and wrapping that hold food for sale.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (659 characters) on Oct 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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