PFAS Food-Contact Packaging Ban Compliance Check

Why this matters

From 12 August 2026, the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) bans intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food-contact packaging placed on the EU market, at or above strict thresholds: 25 parts per billion for any single targeted PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum of targeted PFAS, or 50 parts per million total fluorine including polymeric PFAS. Crucially, there is no grandfathering provision — packaging manufactured before the deadline cannot be sold into the EU market after it if it exceeds the limits, and Northern Ireland follows the same rule from the same date under the Windsor Framework. UK businesses exporting food, drink, or food-contact packaging to the EU or NI — bakeries, food manufacturers, packaging suppliers, and retailers with EU-facing supply chains — have a hard deadline with no transition period.

Great Britain itself has not yet mirrored the EU ban, but DEFRA’s PFAS Plan, published in February 2026, signals tighter domestic testing requirements and potential REACH-based restrictions are coming. Many UK food and packaging businesses assume this is “an EU problem,” but any business that exports to the EU, supplies retailers who do, or sources packaging (grease-proof paper, moulded fibre containers, coated boxes, takeaway packaging) from suppliers who haven’t confirmed PFAS-free status is at risk of stock becoming unsellable overnight, with no way to sell through existing inventory after the deadline passes.

What you'll need

• A list of food-contact packaging your business uses, supplies, or manufactures (e.g. wrappers, containers, coated board, takeaway packaging)
• Whether any of this packaging, or the goods packed in it, are sold or exported into the EU or Northern Ireland
• Whether your packaging suppliers have provided PFAS testing data or compliance declarations
• Any current stock of packaging that may need to be reviewed or replaced before 12 August 2026

What you'll get

A personalised compliance report covering: a score out of 100, an executive summary, a list of findings ranked by severity, and a prioritised action plan with timeframes.