India’s food safety authority has proposed a nationwide ban on the use of PFAS and bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging materials, aligning the country with a growing global movement to phase out so-called “forever chemicals.”
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has amended its 2018 Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulation, stating in the draft text: “PFAS shall not be used to manufacture food contact materials. Food contact materials manufactured with polycarbonate and epoxy resins shall be free from BPA and its derivatives.”
The amendment is currently open for a 12-week public consultation, inviting feedback from businesses, packaging manufacturers, and consumers before the regulation is finalized.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and BPA have come under increasing scrutiny for their persistence in the environment and potential links to human health effects, including developmental disorders and hormonal disruption. Their grease- and water-resistant properties have made them common in packaging for food, cosmetics, and household goods.
While PFAS-free and BPA-free materials are already being developed by leading packaging suppliers, the FSSAI proposal marks a significant regulatory milestone in Asia. Lecta Self-Adhesives, for example, recently launched Adestor Gloss GP PFAS-free, a labeling range designed to maintain barrier performance while improving safety credentials for food contact applications.
Globally, legislation is tightening around the use of PFAS. In the United States, California is preparing to prohibit the sale or distribution of food packaging and cookware containing intentionally added PFAS from January 1, 2028. Meanwhile, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) continues to advance its own restriction process, though recent updates have excluded several sectors linked to packaging.
Environmental group ChemSec has cautioned that such exemptions could weaken the EU’s overall Chemicals Industry Action Plan, which seeks to eliminate PFAS across major industrial applications.
As India joins the international effort to reduce exposure to hazardous chemicals, its move is expected to accelerate innovation in sustainable food packaging and create new market opportunities for suppliers offering compliant, high-performance alternatives.
