Food packaging: hazardous chemicals.

Budget

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Sharp-Collins
Last action: 2025-06-27
Official status: In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's implementation depends on future legislative funding, which is not guaranteed.

Food Packaging: Hazardous Chemicals

This law bans food packaging that contains certain harmful chemicals called bisphenols and ortho-phthalates starting January 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

Prohibits the manufacture, distribution, sale, or offering for sale of food packaging containing intentionally added bisphenols or ortho-phthalates after January 1, 2027.
Requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish a threshold limit for unintentionally included ortho-phthalates in food packaging.
Prohibits selling or distributing food packaging that contains bisphenols or ortho-phthalates at or above the established threshold after one year from when the regulations are made.
Authorizes the Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Attorney General to enforce these prohibitions with penalties.

Who It Names or Affects

Food packaging manufacturers
Retailers and sellers of food packaging

Terms To Know

Bisphenols: A type of chemical used in plastics and resins that can be harmful to health.
Ortho-phthalates: Chemicals often found in plasticizers, which are substances added to plastics to make them more flexible. They can also be harmful.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill requires funding from the Legislature for implementation.
It does not specify what happens if someone accidentally includes too much of these chemicals in food packaging before the limit is set.
The exact rules about how much of these chemicals are allowed will be decided later.

Bill History

2025-06-27 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-06-17 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on E.Q.
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on E.Q. and HEALTH.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 55. Noes 11. Page 1880.)
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (May 23).
2025-05-07 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended.
2025-04-22 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 2.) (April 22).
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-04-01 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on E.S & T.M.
2025-03-28 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.S & T.M. Read second time and amended.
2025-03-10 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on E.S & T.M. and JUD.
2025-02-21 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
2025-02-20 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 1148, as amended, Sharp-Collins.
Food packaging: hazardous chemicals.
Existing law prohibits a person from distributing, selling, or offering for sale in the state any plant-based food packaging that contains regulated perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, as defined.
This bill
would prohibit, on and after January 1, 2027, the manufacture, distribution, sale, or offering for sale in the state of food packaging that contains intentionally added bisphenols or ortho-phthalates, as defined. The bill
would
authorize
require, subject to an appropriation,
the Department of Toxic Substances Control to adopt
regulations to
restrict or prohibit the manufacture, distribution, sale, or offering for sale in the state of food packaging that contains intentionally added
establish a threshold in food packaging for
bisphenols or
ortho-phthalates,
ortho-phthalates that are not intentionally added,
as specified.
The bill would also prohibit, no sooner than a year after the adoption of those regulations, the manufacture, distribution, sale, or offering for sale in the state of food packaging that contains bisphenols or ortho-phthalates at or above that threshold.
The bill would authorize the department and the Attorney General to enforce
the restrictions or prohibition
these prohibitions
and would subject a person to an administrative or civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for the first violation of
the restriction or
a
prohibition and not to exceed $10,000 for each subsequent violation, as specified. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize funds in the Toxic Substances Control Account to be used by the department to implement these provisions.

Current Bill Text

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