Do not place food-contact packaging on the market at or above 25 ppb for any single PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum of targeted PFAS, or 50 ppm for total PFAS including polymeric.

Manufacturers and importers of food-contact packaging are prohibited, and this is law in force.

Why it matters

This is law in force, not a proposal.

It is Art. 5(5), in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. as of 2026-08-18
The act gives its timing as: From 12 August 2026 (Art. 5(5)). as of 2026-08-18
It names 3 industries by name: Plastics converting, Paper and board and Food and drink. as of 2026-08-18
Compliance is checked by technical documentation (Annex VII), targeted PFAS analysis, continuous. as of 2026-08-18

Addressee Manufacturers and importers of food-contact packagingAct Regulation (EU) 2025/40, base actArticle Art. 5(5)Class Businesses

What changes

Food-contact packaging across the board, and hardest on fibre-based packaging where PFAS is the standard grease barrier. Genuinely new: 94/62/EC restricted only the four heavy metals, and no PFAS limit existed for packaging.

The rule

New — no predecessor

Trigger

food-contact packaging placed on the market

Obligation

Do not place food-contact packaging on the market at or above 25 ppb for any single PFAS, 250 ppb for the sum of targeted PFAS, or 50 ppm for total PFAS including polymeric.

Who is affected

Addressee

Manufacturers and importers of food-contact packaging

Class

Businesses

Sectors

Names Plastics converting, Paper and board, Food, drink and tobacco · Reaches Chemicals and refining, Retail and distribution, Hotels, restaurants and catering, Waste and landfill

Applies

From 12 August 2026 (Art. 5(5))

Burden drivers

D1 · D4 · D7 — 3 of 7 marks fire on this provision.

No size threshold.

Source text

Verbatim

From 12 August 2026, food-contact packaging shall not be placed on the market if it contains perand polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in a concentration equal to or above the following limit values to the extent that the placing on the market of packaging containing such a concentration of PFAS is not prohibited pursuant to another Union legal act: (a) 25 ppb for any PFAS as measured with targeted PFAS analysis (polymeric PFAS excluded from quantification); (b) 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS measured as the sum of targeted PFAS analysis, where applicable with prior degradation of precursors (polymeric PFAS excluded from quantification); and

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Settled later in secondary legislation. Art. 5(5) applies only 'to the extent that the placing on the market of packaging containing such a concentration of PFAS is not prohibited pursuant to another Union legal act', and Art. 5(5) final subparagraph has the Commission evaluate by 12 August 2030 whether to amend or repeal the paragraph to avoid overlap with REACH, 1935/2004 and the POPs Regulation.