California Assembly Bill 1148, the Safer Food Packaging Act of 2026, prohibits the manufacture, distribution, sale, or offering for sale of food packaging containing intentionally added bisphenols or ortho-phthalates beginning January 1, 2028. The bill also directs the Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish regulations for acceptable levels of these chemicals when they are unintentionally present, with a subsequent prohibition on packaging exceeding those levels one year after regulations are adopted. Manufacturers must maintain and provide information about these chemicals in their packaging to the DTSC upon request. Enforcement is assigned to the DTSC and Attorney General, with penalties ranging from five thousand dollars for first violations to ten thousand dollars for subsequent violations. The bill exempts specific packaging types and chemicals from the prohibition requirements.

Why It Matters to MAHA

CA AB1148 directly advances MAHA's core mission of eliminating harmful chemicals from the food supply and expanding consumer access to truly clean food. Bisphenols and ortho-phthalates are endocrine disruptors linked to reproductive harm, developmental delays, and metabolic dysfunction, yet they remain permitted in food packaging across much of the United States despite being banned or restricted in the European Union and other countries. This bill removes a significant source of chemical exposure that consumers cannot opt out of simply by reading labels—the contamination comes from packaging itself. By prohibiting these chemicals rather than merely requiring transparency, the bill respects consumer autonomy by ensuring that food purchased in California is not contaminated with known hazardous substances. This is precisely the kind of regulatory action MAHA supports: removing barriers to genuine health freedom by eliminating involuntary chemical exposure.