California Governor Vetoes Bill to Limit PFAS in Food Packaging

California Governor Gavin Newsom last week vetoed a bill passed by the state assembly that would have dramatically limited per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in packaging, including packaging of food products.

Senate Bill 682, known as the Environmental Health: Product Safety: Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Act, would have targeted a wide range of goods that contain intentionally added PFAS — sometimes called “forever chemicals,” synthetic compounds linked to cancer, hormonal disruption and possibly other negative health and environmental impacts.

It was one of 21 passed bills he vetoed, to go with nearly 100 bills he signed into law.

In his veto letter of Oct. 13, he expressed concern over the affordability of “cooking products” and “sacrificing the ability of Californians to afford household products like cookware.”

“I share the author’s goal to protect human health and the environment by phasing out the use of PFAS in consumer products,” the governor wrote. “However, the broad range of products that would be impacted by this bill would result in a sizable and rapid shift in cooking products available to Californians.”

One media report said he expressed concern over implementation challenges and potential conflicts with federal regulatory efforts already underway.

The bill proposed a phased ban on products containing these chemicals, beginning with cleaning products, food packaging and dental floss by 2028, followed by cookware in 2030, and eventually expanding to other commercial and industrial products in later years.