Analyzing NIAS and PFAS in Food Packaging Materials: Top Questions and Challenges

To reduce waste and meet sustainability targets, food manufacturers are increasingly using recycled materials in their packaging. Unfortunately, an accumulation of undefined chemicals and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) can occur when materials are recycled many times. In the case of recycled food packaging, it can be challenging to determine how these pollutants are affecting prepackaged foods.

To avoid contamination and create more sustainable food packaging sources in the future, it’s essential for labs to answer important questions, such as:

How are NIAS compounds defined, identified and quantified?
What changes have occurred in NIAS chemical screening processes in the last few decades?
What is the chemical mobility of PFAS contamination, specifically in food packaging materials such as plastic, paper and compostable sources?
How are other labs using targeted and non-targeted approaches to discover PFAS contaminants in recycled materials?
How does investigating NIAS create and maintain new sustainable materials?

These are the very questions answered during our recent scientific roundtable called PFAS: A Package Deal.

In case you missed our recent discussion, you may want to tune in to the recording: A package deal..

This session featured a leading PFAS analysis expert in food packaging and sustainability efforts:

Andrea Vittadello, Project Manager of Sustainability for Merieux NutriSciences Food Science Center

During the discussion, Vittadello covered five hot topics:

The key components of detecting NIAS and PFAS in plastic, paper or compostable materials
Migration patterns of NIAS and PFAS from food packaging
Keeping up with legislation changes
Challenges labs face when analyzing NIAS contamination through High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry
What the future looks like for creating sustainable food packaging

The discussion included an engaging 10-minute Q&A session.

Want to hear the discussion and learn more about recent changes with PFAS analyses? We encourage you to listen to the recording today.