How much PFAS is in your fast food wrappers and popcorn bags?

What's actually in it

Grease-proof food packaging gets its oil-repelling power from PFAS coatings. Fast food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, bakery bags, and some "compostable" containers all use fluorinated coatings to keep grease from soaking through. The PFAS chemicals sit on the surface of the paper or cardboard and are in direct contact with your food.

When hot, oily food sits in these containers, PFAS migrate from the packaging into whatever you're eating. The hotter and greasier the food, the more chemicals transfer.

What the research says

A 2026 study in J Hazard Mater tested hundreds of consumer food packaging items for PFAS contamination. The results showed that PFAS were present in a wide range of packaging types, including wrappers, bags, bowls, and containers.

Some of the highest levels appeared in microwave popcorn bags and fast food sandwich wrappers. Even some packaging labeled as "compostable" or "eco-friendly" tested positive for PFAS, since manufacturers use fluorinated coatings as a grease barrier even in paper-based products.

The study noted that current regulations don't cover all the PFAS compounds found in packaging. Newer, shorter-chain PFAS are being used as replacements for banned ones, but they still show up in the finished product. To cut your exposure, transfer food from packaging to plates or glass containers as soon as possible, and avoid reheating food in its original wrapper.