Have some PFAS with that?

A study commissioned by the environmental lobbying groups Safer Chemicals, Healthier Families and Toxic-Free Future, and published by Bloomberg in mid-December 2018, examined 78 to-go containers and deli and bakery papers from 20 grocery stores in 12 states. Stores included Albertsons, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Food Lion, Stop & Shop and Whole Foods Market. Containers and papers from all but one market tested positively for PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), a class of chemicals that has been linked to damage to the liver, immune system damage and cancer.

The only retailer with no items testing positive for the chemicals in question? Trader Joe’s.

The store with the worst showing? Whole Foods Market, where high levels of fluorine, considered poisonous, was found in five of the 17 items tested — a sign they were probably treated with a form of PFAS, which can help packaging resist heat, grease and water. The chain responded to the report immediately, saying that it had switched from plastic to compostable containers to be more eco-friendly and that it had removed all the packaging highlighted in the report from its stores.

The report notes that competitively priced packaging that has not been treated with PFAS is available to retailers. Let’s hope more markets follow Trader Joe’s example and take advantage of the healthier alternative.