Can PFAS in paper food packaging and organic amendments contaminate your meals?

What's actually in it

Paper food packaging like sandwich wrappers, bakery bags, pizza boxes, and paper plates often contain PFAS to make them grease-resistant. Organic soil amendments (compost and mulch) sold for gardens can also contain PFAS from contaminated inputs. Both create pathways for these chemicals to enter your food.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Sci Total Environ tested commercially available organic amendments and food-contact paper products for PFAS. The researchers found PFAS in both product types. Paper food packaging designed to resist grease had the highest levels. Some organic garden amendments also contained PFAS from contaminated compost materials.

This means PFAS reach your food through two separate routes: directly from food packaging and indirectly from the soil where your vegetables grow.

Avoid greasy food in paper packaging when possible. Transfer food to plates or glass containers. For gardening, ask compost suppliers about their PFAS testing. Choose amendments certified free of sewage sludge inputs.