Safer Food Packaging Act of 2025: Ban on Hazardous Chemicals in Food Packaging in California

"On April 8, 2025, California held a hearing for AB 1148, known as the Safer Food Packaging Act of 2025. The bill prohibits the distribution, sale, or offering for sale of food packaging containing intentionally added antimony trioxide, bisphenols (with the exception of TMBPF), or ortho-phthalates in California beginning January 1, 2027. It empowers the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate, enforce, and establish more protective health standards regarding these chemicals. The bill allows DTSC to take further regulatory action under its Safer Consumer Products program and outlines penalties for noncompliance—up to $10,000 per violation. Enforcement authority is granted to both DTSC and the Attorney General, with legal remedies and implementation funding provisions also included. According to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), antimony trioxide is listed under Proposition 65 for its carcinogenicity. OEHHA listed BPA for its effects on the female reproductive system in 2015 and for developmental effects in 2020. According to OEHHA, “BPA is on the Proposition 65 list because it may harm the developing baby, and it may harm the female reproductive system, including the ovaries and eggs.” OEHHA lists six phthalates under Proposition 65 because they can cause birth defects, other reproductive harm, and/or cancer. "