
What Is PFAS-Free Food Packaging Paper? What Restaurants Need to Know
Food wrappers have a simple job: hold food, control grease, and keep service clean. The chemistry behind that paper, however, has become a bigger concern for restaurants, food brands, and packaging buyers. PFAS-free food packaging refers to food-contact packaging made without PFAS chemicals being intentionally added to provide properties such as oil, grease, or moisture resistance. PFAS were historically used in some paper and paperboard packaging because they created strong grease barriers. U.S. regulatory action and changes in manufacturing have now pushed food packaging toward PFAS-free alternatives. For restaurants, the practical question is no longer just whether a wrapper looks grease-resistant. It is whether the material performs properly for the food, meets applicable food-contact requirements, and comes with clear information about its coatings and chemical treatments. What Is PFAS-Free Food Packaging? PFAS-free food packaging is packaging produced without intentionally using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to achieve functional properties such as grease, oil, water, or stain resistance. These materials can include food wrapping paper, burger wraps, sandwich paper, bags, liners, trays, and other food-contact paper products. PFAS are a large family of synthetic chemicals. They are sometimes called chemicals forever because many are highly persistent and break down very slowly in the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that PFAS have been widely used and can persist in water, soil, air, food, people, and animals. In food packaging, their historical appeal was practical. Greasy foods can quickly soak through untreated paper. Certain PFAS treatments gave food contact paper and paperboard resistance to oil and moisture without making the material excessively thick. That performance advantage came with growing concerns about persistence, exposure, and migration from food-contact materials. Why Were PFAS Used in Food Packaging? PFAS were mainly used in some paper-based food packaging because they provided effective resistance against grease, oil, and moisture. This made them useful for applications such as fast-food wrappers, takeout containers, microwave popcorn bags, and other packaging exposed to fatty foods. Food-service packaging often faces difficult conditions. A burger can release hot grease. Fried food creates both oil and steam. Sandwich sauces add moisture. A bakery item may contain butter or shortening that stays in direct contact with the paper for hours. Packaging therefore needs a barrier between the food and the outer surface. Historically, PFAS-based treatments could help provide: Oil resistance Grease resistance Moisture resistance Reduced soak-through Better structural performance around fatty foods The FDA identified grease-proofing applications on paper and paperboard as the food-contact PFAS uses most relevant to potential dietary exposure. Modern grease-resistant food packaging can achieve similar functional goals using other material systems, depending on the food, paper construction, coating, and intended contact conditions. Are PFAS Still Used in U.S. Food Packaging? The FDA says grease-proofing substances containing PFAS are no longer being sold by manufacturers for food-contact use in the U.S. market. This followed a voluntary industry phase-out. In January 2025, the FDA also determined that 35 related Food Contact Notifications were no longer effective because those uses had been abandoned. That distinction matters when people search for a PFAS food packaging ban. At the federal level, the current situation is better described as a completed market phase-out of these authorized grease-proofing uses combined with FDA action ending the effectiveness of the related notifications. It should not be simplified into a claim that every possible PFAS occurrence in every type of packaging is covered by one nationwide blanket ban. Restaurants also need to consider state requirements. For example, New York prohibits intentionally added PFAS in covered food packaging. Washington restricts intentionally added PFAS in specified paper and plant-fiber food packaging categories, including wraps, plates, food boats, pizza boxes, bags, sleeves, bowls, and certain containers. For businesses operating across several states, supplier verification is therefore a practical purchasing step rather than an optional detail. Does “PFAS-Free” Always Mean Zero PFAS? Not necessarily. A PFAS-free claim should be understood in the context of how the supplier defines and verifies it. “No intentionally added PFAS” means PFAS were not deliberately included to perform a function, but it does not automatically prove that laboratory testing would detect absolutely zero PFAS. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation makes this distinction clearly. Its food-packaging guidance explains that PFAS can sometimes enter packaging unintentionally through manufacturing processes, processing aids, or recycled materials even when PFAS were not intentionally added. This is why restaurants should avoid relying only on a marketing phrase. Ask what the supplier means by: PFAS-free No intentionally added PFAS Fluorine-free Tested for PFAS Compliant with applicable food-packaging requirements These statements can describe different levels of verification. How Can Restaurants Tell if Food Packaging Has PFAS? You generally cannot tell whether food packaging contains PFAS by looking at it, touching it, or testing how quickly grease soaks through. Restaurants should verify chemical information through their packaging supplier, manufacturer documentation, declarations, certificates, or appropriate testing where needed. Grease resistance alone is not proof of PFAS treatment. Modern papers may use alternative barrier technologies. New York regulators specifically advise businesses that are unsure about intentionally added PFAS to consult the manufacturer or packaging supplier. A useful supplier checklist includes: Are PFAS intentionally added to this material? What creates the grease or moisture barrier? Is the paper intended for direct food contact? Is documentation available for the PFAS claim? Does the product meet requirements for the states where it will be used? Has PFAS testing been performed, and what exactly was tested? Does the claim apply to the paper, coating, ink, and finished packaging? Documentation becomes especially useful for restaurant groups with multiple locations because purchasing teams can keep one consistent record rather than relying on verbal claims from different distributors. What Are the Main PFAS Alternatives for Food Packaging? PFAS alternatives for food packaging use different materials or barrier systems to control oil, grease, and moisture without intentionally relying on PFAS chemistry. The right alternative depends on the food itself, contact time, temperature, grease level, and whether the paper must also support printing or branding. There is no








