Ingredient Index
Is Flufenacet banned in Europe?
Yes: the EU voted in 2025 not to renew flufenacet, calling it an endocrine disruptor and a source of a stubborn water contaminant. The US EPA still registers it for corn, soybeans, and cereals.
What the EU does
Not renewed. In 2025 the European Commission decided against renewing flufenacet, a widely used herbicide, after EFSA identified it as an endocrine disruptor that can alter thyroid function, a concern tied to potential harm to the developing nervous system. The non-renewal regulation entered into force on 10 June 2025.
There was a second strike against it. Flufenacet breaks down into trifluoroacetic acid, or TFA, a mobile and persistent compound that leaches into groundwater above legal limits. Growers are allowed to use up existing stocks only until 10 December 2026, after which it is out.
Citation Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/910 (non-renewal of flufenacet); entry into force 10 Jun 2025; use of stocks permitted until 10 Dec 2026; EFSA endocrine-disruptor conclusion, 2024
What the US does
Still registered. The US EPA continues to register flufenacet, which is used mainly on corn, soybeans, and cereal grains to control grasses and weeds. There is no US equivalent to the EU endocrine-disruptor cutoff that ended flufenacet's European approval.
It is also worth noting the TFA angle, because TFA is part of the broader family of persistent fluorinated compounds now under scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. Europe treated the groundwater contamination as a reason to act; the US has not.
Citation US EPA registration and residue tolerances for flufenacet (corn, soybeans, cereals); no endocrine-disruptor-based cutoff comparable to the EU
Products that commonly contain it
As a herbicide, flufenacet connects to:
- Conventionally grown corn and corn products
- Soybeans and soy-based ingredients
- Cereal grains
- Drinking-water sources near treated fields (via TFA)
What to look for on a label
You will not see it on a food label, so the signals are indirect:
- Herbicide use is a growing-stage step, not disclosed on the product
- Certified-organic crops prohibit flufenacet
- The water-contamination concern is about TFA, its breakdown product
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Frequently asked questions
Is flufenacet banned in Europe?
Yes. The EU voted in 2025 not to renew it, and the non-renewal took effect in June 2025, with a stock use-up period ending in December 2026.
Why was it banned?
EFSA identified it as an endocrine disruptor affecting thyroid function, and its breakdown product TFA contaminates groundwater above legal limits.
Is it still used in the US?
Yes. The US EPA still registers flufenacet for use on corn, soybeans, and cereal grains.
Related ingredients
Related reading
Primary sources
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/910 (flufenacet non-renewal)
- AGRINFO: flufenacet non-renewal of approval
- US EPA: pesticide registration information
Last reviewed August 13, 2026 · How we assign statuses