Fluorinated Polyethylene Food Contact Containers: FDA Issues RFI

As of 19 July 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested information regarding uses of fluorinated polyethylene in food contact containers. This proposal is a part of ongoing efforts to guarantee the safety of authorized food contact uses, as fluorination of polyethylene may result in the creation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The FDA is looking for scientific evidence and information on current uses of fluorinated polyethylene in food contact, consumer dietary exposure that may arise from those uses, and safety data on chemicals that may migrate from fluorinated polyethylene food containers. 

A marketing study on fluorinated polyethylene by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) found that its "uses vary from packaged food and consumer goods that individuals buy to larger containers used by shops like restaurants or larger drums used by businesses to store and transport fluids." 

Following the agency's 2021 discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in some fluorinated barrels, just seven comments were submitted in response to a request for information (RFI). It's unclear how the agency will move given the scant response to the data call-in, which was completed on 18 October 2022.