KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

SB1818 • 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
Campbell, Freeman
Last action
2026-01-22
Official status
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare 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 is clearly labeled and warns about health risks.

What This Bill Does

  • Prohibits the sale, delivery for sale, holding for sale, or offering for sale of food that contains forever chemicals unless the food is properly labeled.
  • Requires labels on foods containing forever chemicals to list known or possible health effects.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Food manufacturers who sell products containing forever chemicals
  • Retailers selling food with forever chemicals

Terms To Know

Forever Chemicals
Man-made synthetic chemicals, such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), that do not break down easily in the environment.
PFAS
A group of man-made chemicals including PFOA, PFOS, PFBS, and HFPO-DA.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify penalties for violating the ban on selling unlabeled food with forever chemicals.
  • It is unclear how strictly this law will be enforced or what resources will be provided to enforce it.

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

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

  4. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee

  5. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee

  6. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  7. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  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 
HOUSE BILL 1746
By Freeman

SENATE BILL 1818
By Campbell
SB1818
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.