"More than 1,000 chemicals that migrate from packaging into food pose serious health risks, a new study shows. But the vast majority of chemicals lack enough information to tell if they’re safe."
"Most people decide if it’s safe to eat an old tub of yogurt in the fridge or canned tuna in the back of the cupboard by checking its sell-by date. But no label indicates that pesticides, phthalates, PFAS or other hazardous chemicals could be seeping from those containers into your food.
Of more than 15,000 chemicals that come in contact with food, a new peer-reviewed study found, 1,222 pose serious health risks such as cancer and reproductive harm. And the vast majority—87 percent, or more than 13,200—lack enough accessible information to even estimate their risks.
The fact that there’s not enough publicly available information for independent scientists to assess the safety of chemicals that can contaminate food is “the elephant in the room,” said study co-author Jane Muncke, managing director at the nonprofit Food Packaging Forum Foundation, which led the research, published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Consumers trust that when regulators allow chemicals in products like food packaging, it’s because it’s been through safety testing, Muncke said. “But that’s not the case,” she said. “And it doesn’t make sense.”"
Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News September 1, 2026.
