In a press release published on March 29, 2018, democratic California senator Dianne Feinstein announced plans to “introduce a bill to remove harmful chemicals from food packaging.” Her statement came in response to a recent scientific study linking eating out at restaurants with increased urinary phthalate levels (FPF reported).
“Phthalates are a type of chemical used in many plastic wraps that pose a risk to public health,” Feinstein explained. “We’ve already banned them from children’s toys due to serious health concerns, now we need to remove them from our food packaging,” she added.
Feinstein further highlighted that “despite those risks, it’s nearly impossible for families to avoid some level of exposure,” because “these chemicals can be found throughout the food supply chain, from the plastic gloves worn to handle food to the containers used for packaging.”
For these reasons, Feinstein declared that “when Congress is back in session, I plan to introduce legislation that would remove phthalates from food packaging, phasing them out over the next five years, to help reduce our exposure to these harmful chemicals.”
In August 2017, democratic New York senator Chuck Schumer also expressed concern over the use of phthalates in food packaging (FPF reported). He called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the safety of phthalates and ban the chemicals in food packaging if found harmful.
Read more
Dianne Feinstein (March 29, 2018). “Feinstein to introduce bill to remove harmful chemicals from food packaging.”
Chemical Watch (April 5, 2018). “Senator to introduce bill in US removing phthalates from FCMs.“
