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HB1746 • 2026

Food and Food Products

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47, Chapter 18 and Title 53, relative to foods that contain forever chemicals.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Freeman, Campbell
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee of Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Law to Ban Forever Chemicals in Food

This law stops food with forever chemicals from being sold unless it has a label that tells people about the health risks.

What This Bill Does

  • Bans selling, delivering for sale, holding for sale, or offering for sale of food containing forever chemicals without proper labeling.
  • Requires labels on foods with forever chemicals to disclose known and possible health effects.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Food manufacturers
  • Retailers selling food products

Terms To Know

Forever chemicals
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of man-made synthetic chemicals.
PFOA, PFOS, PFBS, HFPO-DA
Specific types of forever chemicals included in the definition.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify penalties for non-compliance.
  • It is unclear how enforcement will be carried out.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee of Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  2. 2026-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee for 2/18/2026

  3. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  4. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  5. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  6. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  7. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  8. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  9. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1818
By Campbell

HOUSE BILL 1746
By Freeman
HB1746
011410
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47,
Chapter 18 and Title 53, relative to foods that
contain forever chemicals.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 53-1-103(a), is amended by adding
the following as a new subdivision:
( ) The sale, delivery for sale, holding for sale, or offering for sale of food that
contains forever chemicals, unless the food is labeled as containing forever chemicals
and discloses the known or possible health effects of the chemical. As used in this
subdivision (a)( ), "forever chemical" means a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance
(PFAS), which is a group of man-made synthetic chemicals, including, but not limited to,
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorobutane
sulfonic acid (PFBS), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.