On May 25, 2026, Maine will enforce a ban on PFAS in nine categories of plant-fiber food contact packaging. If your paperboard trays, molded pulp containers, paper wraps, or fiber-based bowls contain intentionally added PFAS above incidental presence, they cannot legally be sold in Maine after that date.
But here is the part most food brands and supplement companies are not tracking: Maine is far from alone. At least 12 US states have now enacted laws restricting PFAS in food packaging, with several more going live in 2026 and 2027. And the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)—which entered into force on February 11, 2025—adds another layer for brands selling internationally, with PFAS restrictions applying from August 12, 2026.
If you sell food, supplements, or personal care products in multiple US states—or if your packaging touches any retail channel that operates across state lines—you need a compliance map. Most brands do not have one.
Key Facts at a Glance
- At least 12 US states
- Maine’s plant-fiber packaging enforcement
- Several more states
- Hundreds of PFAS bills
The US State PFAS Packaging Map: Where You Stand Today
Here is the current landscape for PFAS bans specifically affecting food packaging, sorted by enforcement timeline:
Already Enforcing (Live Now)
New York — Dec 31, 2022
Banned intentionally added PFAS in all food packaging made from plant fibers. One of the earliest state-level bans.
California — Jan 1, 2023
Banned PFAS in plant-fiber food packaging under AB 1200. Threshold: intentionally added or ≥100 ppm total organic fluorine.
Connecticut — 2023
Enacted a ban on PFAS in food packaging, effective 2023. Connecticut subsequently passed S.B. 292 (signed June 2024), which expands PFAS restrictions to additional consumer product categories—including apparel, cookware, cosmetics, and children’s products—with a July 2026 labeling/disclosure deadline and a January 2028 outright ban on those broader categories.
Washington — 2023–2024 (Phased)
Washington uses a phased, category-specific approach tied to Department of Ecology safer-alternatives determinations. Phase 1 (Feb 2023) banned PFAS in pizza boxes and food boats. Phase 2 (May 2024) expanded to bags, sleeves, plates, trays, and clamshells. The ban applies only to packaging formats where safer alternatives have been formally approved.
Minnesota — Jan 1, 2025
Banned intentionally added PFAS in food packaging, children’s products, cookware, and cosmetics. Expands to all consumer products by 2032.
Oregon — Jan 1, 2025
Banned PFAS in food contact packaging and foodware under SB 543, signed May 2023.
Rhode Island — Jan 1, 2025
Banned PFAS in food packaging and foodware. Originally set for January 2024, the effective date was delayed twice before taking effect January 1, 2025.
Vermont — Jan 1, 2026
Comprehensive ban on intentionally added PFAS in food packaging under Act 131 (S.25), signed May 2024.
Illinois — Jan 1, 2026
Banned intentionally added PFAS in all food packaging components under HB 2516—including coatings, closures, inks, labels, and exterior strapping.
Going Live in 2026
Maine — May 25, 2026
Plant-fiber food contact packaging ban takes effect, covering nine specific packaging categories. Maine also requires manufacturers to submit PFAS notification to DEP as of Jan 1, 2026. Note: Maine was among the first states to legislate broadly on PFAS and has a comprehensive product-level ban (LD 1503) with a 2032 horizon for all products containing intentionally added PFAS.
Coming in 2027 and Beyond
New Mexico — Jan 1, 2027
PFAS Protection Act (HB212), passed in 2025, phases out intentionally added PFAS in food packaging and cookware. Full consumer product ban by 2032 unless deemed “currently unavoidable use.”
Maine (expanded) — Jan 1, 2032
All products containing intentionally added PFAS banned from sale in Maine unless deemed “unavoidable use” by DEP.
Minnesota (expanded) — Jan 1, 2032
PFAS ban extends to all consumer products sold in the state.
Active Legislation (2026 Session)
As of March 2026, hundreds of PFAS-related bills are active across 23 state legislatures, including new proposals in Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, and New York that would expand existing bans or tighten thresholds. The regulatory direction is clear: more states, stricter limits, broader product categories.
Why This Is a Packaging Specification Problem, Not Just a Compliance Checkbox
PFAS bans do not mean you stop selling in those states. They mean you requalify your packaging materials. And for food brands, that requalification touches some of the most performance-critical packaging in your portfolio:
- Paperboard trays and bowls
- Molded pulp containers
- Paper wraps and liners
- Coatings on corrugated and folding cartons
The challenge is not finding PFAS-free alternatives—they exist across most categories. The challenge is doing the material selection, supplier requalification, specification updates, and testing required to switch, across every affected SKU, before each state’s deadline hits.
The Multi-State Compliance Problem
Here is what makes PFAS particularly complex for brands selling across the US: there is no single federal standard. Each state has its own definition of “intentionally added,” its own threshold (some use 100 ppm total organic fluorine, others use “any amount greater than incidental presence”), and its own product scope.
A packaging specification that is compliant in California may not be compliant in Maine. A material that passes Illinois’s broader component-level test may exceed another state’s threshold. Brands selling in multiple states need the most restrictive standard across all applicable jurisdictions—or they need state-specific packaging variants.
Most mid-size food brands do not have the internal regulatory expertise to track this. They need a packaging partner that understands the material science, knows the regulatory landscape, and can guide the requalification across their entire portfolio.
How Korpack Helps You Navigate PFAS Compliance
PFAS requalification is a packaging engineering challenge—and it is exactly what Korpack’s team was built to handle.
- Material selection and requalification
- Specification updates across your portfolio
- Prototype and testing
- Plant Audit Reviews (PAR)
We are one of the few packaging partners in the US that combines engineering expertise with full material supply capability across every format affected by PFAS regulations—corrugated, paperboard, films, labels, and interior packaging. That means your PFAS compliance transition happens through one partner, not a patchwork of specialty consultants and separate material suppliers.
The Bottom Line
Maine goes live in 62 days. Illinois and Vermont are already enforcing. At least 12 states have PFAS food packaging restrictions on the books and 23 more have active PFAS legislation in their 2026 sessions. The EU adds international pressure in August 2026.
The brands that build a multi-state PFAS compliance strategy now—with the right packaging engineering partner—will navigate this transition as a managed material upgrade. The ones that wait for enforcement actions will face rushed requalifications, premium pricing on alternative materials, and potential shelf removal in non-compliant states.
The regulatory map is clear. The direction is irreversible. The only variable is how prepared you are.
Not sure which of your packaging materials contain PFAS? Korpack’s packaging engineers can audit your materials and build a state-by-state compliance plan.
