PFAS are already banned in other states across the US. Credit: UvGroup via Shutterstock.

California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta has reminded food packaging and paper straw manufacturers in the US of their upcoming responsibility to accurately disclose per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) content in their products.

In an enforcement advisory letter, the AG called on manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of food packaging and cookware to prepare for the statewide law on disclosing the PFAS content within their products.

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PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are a large group of synthetic substances commonly used in products such as food wrappers.

Exposure to these chemicals is linked to health complications such as liver damage, obesity, fertility issues, and cancer.

In 2021, the governor of California signed legislation that banned PFAS from paper, paperboard, or plant-based food packaging, as well as from utensils and straws.

The law also bans the use of PFAS on any material that comes into direct contact with food.

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This law requires companies to clearly disclose online the chemicals, including PFAS, used on their cookware and bakeware handles and coatings from January next year.

It prohibits these businesses from wrongly claiming their products are PFAS-free.

Bonta said: “Like so many Californians, I am greatly concerned about PFAS exposure. These chemicals are toxic and are all around us.

“As the people’s attorney, I’ve been turning that concern into concrete action by holding big PFAS manufacturers like 3M and DuPont accountable and supporting federal efforts to better protect Americans’ drinking water supply from PFAS.

“The PFAS enforcement advisory letter and the consumer alert that we are issuing today continue these important efforts to protect Californians from harm.”

In January this year, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation banned the use of PFAS in food packaging materials.