California, USA, Intends to Regulate Chemicals in Food Packaging

SafeGuardSHardgoodsMarch 18, 2025

SG 044/25

California has introduced a bill to prohibit antimony trioxide and two families of chemicals in food packaging. If approved, the law would take effect in January 2027.

In February 2025, the US state of California introduced AB 1148, the ‘Safer Food Packing Act of 2025’, to regulate antimony trioxide, bisphenols and ortho-phthalates in food packaging.

The proposed law would add Article 3 (commencing with Section 109015) to Chapter 15 of Part 3 of Division 104 of the state’s Health and Safety Code, relating to product safety.

According to the definitions in the proposed law, ‘food packaging’ means a non-durable package, packaging component or food service ware intended to contain, serve, store, handle, protect or market food or beverages. The term includes food or beverage containers, take-out food containers, unit product boxes, liners, wrappers, serving vessels, eating utensils, straws, food boxes and disposable plates, bowls or trays.

Highlights of the proposal are summarized in Table 1.

Substance	Scope	Requirement	Proposed effective date
Antimony trioxide Bisphenol A, B, S, F, AF or related compounds Ortho-phthalates¹	Food packaging	Prohibited	January 1, 2027
¹Family of chemicals that are esters of ortho-phthalic acid, including, but not limited to, the following: BBP, DBP, DCHP, DEP, DEHP, DIBP, DIDP, DIHP, DINP, DnHP, DNOP and DnPP

Table 1

Abbreviations

Item	Abbreviation	Name	CAS
1	BBP	Benzyl butyl phthalate	85-68-7
2	DBP	Dibutyl phthalate	84-74-2
3	DCHP	Dicyclohexyl phthalate	84-61-7
4	DEP	Diethyl phthalate	84-66-2
5	DEHP	Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate	117-81-7
6	DIBP	Di-isobutyl phthalate	84-69-5
7	DIDP	Di-isodecyl phthalate	26761-40-0
8	DIHP	Diisoheptyl phthalate	71888-89-6
9	DINP	Di-isononyl phthalate	28553-12-0
10	DnHP	Di-n-hexyl phthalate	84-75-3
11	DNOP	Di-n-octyl phthalate	117-84-0
12	DnPP	Di-n-pentyl phthalate	131-18-0

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