The packaging your takeaway comes in may be carcinogenic — and it’s being banned in August

Food packaging containing PFAS — synthetic chemicals used to make containers resistant to grease, water, and moisture — will be banned from the EU market from August 12, 2026, under a binding European regulation that takes effect without a transition period.

The ban is set out in EU Regulation 2025/40, known as the PPWR, which establishes specific limits for PFAS in packaging that comes into contact with food. Any packaging at or above those limits cannot be placed on the EU market from that...