PFAS in Food & Products: What NY Lawsuit Means for Moms - Scrunchy Living

PFAS in Food & Products: What NY Lawsuit Means for Moms

The New York Attorney General's lawsuit against five major chemical companies is the clearest signal yet that PFAS, the "forever chemicals" found in food packaging, cookware, and everyday products, are a real and documented concern, especially for pregnant women and new moms.

TL;DR:
- PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are found in nonstick cookware, food packaging, and even store-bought milk, and they cross the placenta.
- The NY AG's 2026 lawsuit against five chemical companies confirms these chemicals are in wide circulation and not going away on their own.
- You can meaningfully reduce your family's exposure by swapping nonstick pans, avoiding greasy food packaging, and choosing unpackaged whole foods, starting this week.

Key Takeaways

  • PFAS cross the placenta and have been detected in breastmilk; the CDC confirms PFAS are detectable in the blood of most Americans, making pregnancy and early infancy a critical window for reducing exposure.
  • The New York Attorney General filed suit against five companies — 3M, DuPont, Chemours, Corteva, and EIDP — over the widespread sale and environmental contamination of PFAS; a related 2022 Thinx lawsuit settled for $5 million in the Southern District of New York.
  • Practical swaps (cast iron cookware, unlined food packaging, whole foods stored in glass) can reduce daily PFAS exposure without requiring a complete lifestyle overhaul, and cast iron pans cost as little as $20–$30.

Why This Matters for Pregnant Women and New Moms

If you've been hearing the term "forever chemicals" and wondering whether it actually applies to your life, the short answer is: yes, it probably does.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, meaning man-made compounds that don't break down in the environment or in the human body) have been manufactured since the 1940s, originally by 3M and DuPont. They're used to make products grease-resistant, water-repellent, and nonstick. That convenience has come at a cost. The New York Attorney General's office has now sued five companies for the environmental and public health damage caused by PFAS contamination across the state.

This isn't fear-mongering. It's a legal and scientific reckoning that's been building for decades. And for moms-to-be, the timing is worth paying attention to.

What Are PFAS, and Why Are They Called "Forever Chemicals"?

PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals whose carbon-fluorine bonds are among the strongest in chemistry, meaning they do not break down in soil, water, or the human body. That's why they're called "forever chemicals."

According to the CDC's ATSDR, PFAS are detectable in the blood of most Americans. They accumulate over time. That means each additional exposure, from your pizza box, your nonstick pan, or your water-resistant jacket, adds to what's already there.

What this means for your family: PFAS don't flush out after a few days. Reducing daily sources now lowers your long-term body burden before and during pregnancy.

What Did the NY Lawsuit Actually Allege?

The New York AG's lawsuit named five companies: 3M, DuPont, Chemours, Corteva, and EIDP. The core allegation: these companies knowingly manufactured and sold PFAS while their contamination spread into New York's water, soil, and environment.

The companies have been phasing out some PFAS compounds, but the lawsuit argues the damage has already been done and the chemicals persist in the environment indefinitely. Consumer protection claims are also emerging in related litigation, with plaintiffs alleging that companies marketed products as safe or sustainable despite containing PFAS, similar to a 2022 Thinx underwear settlement for $5 million in the Southern District of New York.

SCRUNCHY MOM TIP: You don't need to wait for a lawsuit to resolve before making changes at home. The science on PFAS and reproductive health is already solid enough to act on now.

How Do PFAS Get Into Food?

Are PFAS in Food Packaging a Real Risk?

Yes. PFAS are commonly used to make food packaging grease-resistant, and hot or fatty foods in contact with those linings are one of the most direct routes into your diet.

Think pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, and some paper plates. When hot, fatty food contacts these linings, PFAS can migrate into the food itself. The NRDC has documented widespread use of PFAS in food packaging and is actively supporting state-level bans.

Recent independent testing found PFAS in some store-bought milk samples across multiple states, meaning contamination isn't limited to packaging. It can reach the food supply through contaminated water and animal feed.

What this means for your family: Hot, fatty foods in PFAS-treated packaging transfer the most chemicals. Prioritize switching those specific exposures first.

Start here this week: Stop microwaving food in takeout containers or paper wrappers. Transfer food to a glass or ceramic dish first. It takes 30 seconds and eliminates one of the highest-transfer exposure routes.

What About Nonstick Cookware?

Nonstick cookware is a well-documented source of PFAS exposure. If you cook on it daily, it's one of the highest-frequency contact points in your kitchen.

Nonstick coatings, including Teflon and similar products, rely on PFAS chemistry. Cookware marketed as "scratch-resistant" often uses similar compounds. These chemicals are associated with significant fertility impacts: they can disrupt thyroid hormones, decrease progesterone, suppress ovulation, and reduce sperm health. Research published via the NIH links PFAS exposure to endocrine disruption, meaning they can interfere with your hormones (endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic or block hormones in the body).

PFAS cross the blood-brain barrier and the placenta during pregnancy. After birth, they've been detected in breastmilk.

What this means for your family: If you cook daily on nonstick pans, you have a chronic, low-level PFAS exposure source sitting on your stovetop right now.

If you only do one thing from this section, do this: Replace your most-used nonstick pan with cast iron or stainless steel. Cast iron is inexpensive, lasts decades, and adds a small amount of dietary iron, genuinely useful during pregnancy.

Good/Better/Best Swaps for Reducing PFAS in Your Kitchen

Exposure Source Good Better Best
Cookware Stainless steel Enameled cast iron Seasoned cast iron (zero coating)
Food storage BPA-free plastic (last resort) Stainless steel containers Glass containers with silicone lids
Food packaging Reduce fast food frequency Choose whole foods with minimal packaging Buy from bulk bins into your own containers
Baby food prep Store-bought in glass jars Batch-cook and freeze in glass Fresh-made with a steam-and-blend system

For fresh baby food preparation, Beaba makes a steam cooker and blender that preserves nutrients without PFAS-coated nonstick surfaces. The Babymoov Duo Meal Station is another well-regarded option that steams and blends in one unit, reducing the number of surfaces your baby's food contacts.

What Whole Foods and Clean Pantry Staples Lower PFAS Risk?

Choosing whole foods over heavily packaged processed food is one of the most effective dietary steps for reducing PFAS exposure. Less packaging means fewer opportunities for chemical migration into what your family eats.

Nuts, seeds, and bulk grains are particularly good swaps: they're naturally low in processing, often available in minimal or recyclable packaging, and nutrient-dense during pregnancy. According to NIH-supported research, dietary exposure is one of the primary routes of PFAS intake, which means food choices are a direct lever you can pull today.

For pantry staples like nuts, seeds, and grains, Now Real Food (Now Foods) offers a wide range of non-GMO, natural options. Food to Live is another good source for bulk organic, raw pantry staples with straightforward ingredient lists.

For a deeper look at nutrition during preconception and pregnancy, Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols is an evidence-based resource that addresses food quality alongside fertility optimization.

Start here this week: Swap one packaged pantry staple (chips, crackers, microwave popcorn) for a whole-food alternative stored in or purchased in minimal packaging.

A Note on Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Infants

Pregnancy is a high-priority window for reducing PFAS exposure. According to NIH-supported research, PFAS cross the placenta and are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. They're also detected in breastmilk, which is not a reason to stop breastfeeding. Breastmilk remains the gold standard for infant nutrition. But it is a reason to reduce your ongoing exposure now.

For cleaning PFAS residue off pots, pans, and food-contact surfaces, Bob's Red Mill baking soda is food-grade and effective on cookware without introducing additional chemicals.

SCRUNCHY MOM TIP: Reducing PFAS exposure is not about achieving perfection. It's about lowering your daily load. Every swap counts, even if you can't do them all at once.

Good Brands to Buy

FAQ

Q: Is the NY PFAS lawsuit going to result in safer food products being available sooner?

A: Legal pressure does accelerate reformulation, and there's precedent for it. The 2022 Thinx underwear settlement ($5 million, Southern District of New York) pushed the brand to reformulate, and 3M's broader PFAS litigation has driven the company to commit to phasing out PFAS manufacturing entirely by 2025. State legislation is also moving faster than federal action: California, New York, and several other states have passed or are advancing laws specifically banning PFAS in food packaging. That said, litigation takes years to resolve, and chemicals already in circulation don't disappear when a lawsuit settles. Swapping PFAS-containing cookware and packaging now is faster and more protective than waiting for legal outcomes to trickle into your local grocery store.

Q: If I've been cooking on nonstick pans throughout my pregnancy, should I be worried?

A: The goal here is not to create alarm about past exposure. It's to understand where you have the most opportunity going forward. Research published via the NIH links PFAS exposure to endocrine disruption, thyroid interference, and adverse pregnancy outcomes, but one source of exposure over a finite period is meaningfully different from ongoing daily exposure across multiple sources. The body burden concept matters: every source you reduce lowers the cumulative load. Switching to cast iron or stainless steel now, even mid-pregnancy, still reduces your daily PFAS intake for the remainder of pregnancy and throughout the postpartum period, when PFAS can also transfer to breastmilk. If you're on a tight budget, a basic seasoned cast iron skillet costs $20–$30 at most hardware or kitchen stores and is the single highest-impact cookware swap you can make.

Q: Are PFAS only in cookware and food packaging, or are there other sources I should know about?

A: PFAS show up in a broader range of everyday products than most people expect. Beyond cookware and food packaging, documented sources include water-resistant and stain-resistant clothing, some conventional personal care products (certain mascaras and foundations have tested positive), PFAS-treated upholstery and carpet, and firefighting foam (AFFF) that has contaminated municipal water supplies in communities across the US, which is part of what the NY AG lawsuit specifically addresses. The EWG's Tap Water Database lets you look up PFAS contamination levels in your local water supply by zip code. For moms prioritizing where to start, cookware and hot food packaging remain the highest-transfer routes and the easiest to swap; filtered drinking water (using a certified NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis filter) is the next high-impact step if your tap water shows elevated PFAS levels.

About the Author

Jenn Smith, RN BSN, is a registered nurse, mom, and co-founder of Scrunchy Living. She writes evidence-based guides to non-toxic living, pregnancy-safe products, and clean home practices for modern families.

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, supplement routine, or care plan during pregnancy or postpartum.

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