How should families handle grease-proof takeout containers that may contain PFAS?
Use takeout packaging for transport only. PFAS can be found in some food packaging, but one tested packaging study did not find evidence of transfer to the food it checked. Moving hot, oily food to a plate is a simple lower-contact habit.
Grease-proof takeout boxes and wrappers are made to hold oily food on the way home. Some packaging can contain PFAS. That does not mean one meal is a crisis. It does mean the package is not a storage dish, a plate, or a microwave container.
The best habit is simple: move hot or oily food to ceramic, glass, bamboo, or stainless steel when you can.
What the evidence says
A 2026 Chemosphere study tested paper and plastic food packaging and found PFAS in many samples. The same study did not find evidence that PFAS moved from the tested packaging into the foods from its earlier food tests. Another 2026 study found many chemicals can migrate from plastic and paper-based food-contact materials under lab test conditions. Together, these sources support a practical contact-reduction rule without claiming every takeout box sends PFAS into food.
Better takeout rule
- Move hot takeout to a plate or bowl when you get home.
- Do not microwave food in takeout packaging.
- Do not store leftovers in wrappers, bowls, or cartons.
- Use the package for transport only.
For oily meals, bamboo or porcelain plates are a better serving surface than a coated wrapper.
The research at a glance
What to use instead
Move hot takeout to bamboo or porcelain plates instead of using the wrapper as a dish.
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