H.R. 9593: Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act of 2026

This bill would amend federal food safety law to ban the sale or distribution in interstate commerce of food packaging that contains intentionally added PFAS, starting January 1, 2027.

In plain terms, the bill would make it unlawful to manufacture, introduce, or ship for sale food containers or packaging if PFAS chemicals were deliberately added to them. PFAS are a group of fluorinated chemicals often used for grease resistance, water resistance, or durability.

What counts as PFAS under the bill

The bill defines PFAS broadly as a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom. This definition is meant to cover a wide range of PFAS chemicals, not just one specific compound.

What products would be affected

The bill targets food packaging, which could include items such as:

• Paper wrappers and bags
• Takeout boxes and food containers
• Fast-food packaging
• Other packaging materials that come into contact with food

It does not ban all PFAS uses generally; it specifically addresses PFAS that are intentionally added to food packaging.

How the law would work

The bill adds this prohibition to Section 301 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which is the part of federal law that lists prohibited acts related to food, drugs, and cosmetics. That means companies involved in producing or moving such packaging could face federal enforcement if they continue to use intentionally added PFAS in food packaging after the effective date.

Timing

The ban would take effect on January 1, 2027. Packaging already on the market before that date could still be affected depending on how the law is enforced, but the bill itself sets that date as the start of applicability.

Relevant Companies

• PKG — Packaging Corporation of America could be affected if it supplies food packaging materials that use PFAS-based treatments.
• SEE — Sealed Air Corporation makes packaging products and could be impacted if any food-contact packaging lines rely on PFAS-containing materials.
• SON — Sonoco Products Company produces a range of consumer and food packaging products and could need to adjust materials or coatings used in food packaging.
• AMZN — Amazon could face indirect supply-chain effects if its food packaging vendors must reformulate packaging materials, though the impact would likely be indirect rather than core to its business.
• MCD — McDonald's uses large volumes of food-service packaging and could be indirectly affected through changes in packaging suppliers and material costs.
• YUM — Yum! Brands could be indirectly affected through packaging changes for its restaurant brands.