Is it safe to use recycled paper products for food packaging?
Recycled paper products are often contaminated with harmful chemicals like PFAS and bisphenol analogues, making them an unsafe choice for direct food contact.
What's actually in it
When you use recycled paper for food packaging, you aren't just getting paper. You are getting a mix of chemicals that were part of the original products. This includes PFAS (a group of man-made chemicals often called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down) and bisphenol analogues (chemicals used to replace BPA that can still disrupt your hormones).
These chemicals end up in the paper recycling process. Because they are designed to resist grease and water, they stay in the fibers and transfer into your food.
What the research says
Peer-reviewed research confirms that these materials are frequently contaminated. A 2026 study in Sci Total Environ identified the presence of PFAS in commercially available food-contact paper products. This is supported by a 2026 study in Chemosphere, which assessed the levels of these substances in consumer food packaging.
The problem extends beyond just PFAS. A 2026 study in Front Public Health examined various paper products and found significant occurrences of bisphenol analogues, which pose risks for human exposure. Furthermore, a 2026 study in Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess highlights the difficulty in accurately measuring the levels of organic fluorine, the primary component of PFAS, in these packaging materials.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| PFAS in commercially available organic amendments and food-contact paper products. | Sci Total Environ | 2026 |
| Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer food packaging. | Chemosphere | 2026 |
| Occurrence and human exposure assessment of bisphenol analogues in various paper products from Korea. | Front Public Health | 2026 |
| Assessing reliable measurements of total organic fluorine in food packaging materials. | Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess | 2026 |
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