Ingredient Index

Are Ortho-Phthalates in Food Packaging banned in Europe?

Restricted in EU

Restricted, not banned outright: the EU sets strict migration limits on ortho-phthalate plasticizers in food-contact plastics and has tightened them over time. The US still authorizes several ortho-phthalates for food-contact use, though the FDA opened a fresh review in 2026.

CAS: 117-81-7 Also seen as: Ortho-phthalates, DEHP, DBP, DINP, Phthalate plasticizers

What the EU does

Tightly restricted. Ortho-phthalates are plasticizers that make plastics soft and flexible, and they can migrate from packaging, gaskets, and tubing into food, especially fatty food. The EU regulates plastic food-contact materials under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, which authorizes only a defined list of substances and sets specific migration limits for the phthalates it allows, with tighter group limits added in later amendments. Several phthalates are also classified as toxic for reproduction and restricted more broadly under EU chemicals law.

The honest verdict is "restricted," not "banned." The EU does not permit phthalates freely, and it does not forbid every one of them either; it authorizes specific plasticizers within strict migration ceilings and keeps ratcheting those limits down. That is the standard the EU uses for a class it wants to control rather than eliminate.

Citation Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on plastic food-contact materials (migration limits); Reg (EU) 2019/1338 and related amendments; REACH restrictions on reprotoxic phthalates

What the US does

Authorized, with a review underway. In the US, the FDA permits a number of ortho-phthalates as components of food-contact materials such as adhesives, plastics, and coatings. In recent years the agency revoked approvals for some no-longer-used phthalates, and in 2026 it advanced a post-market review of the eight ortho-phthalates still authorized, proposing to group several (including DEHP and DINP) for a cumulative risk assessment.

So the current gap is one of degree and process. The EU works from a tight authorized list with hard migration limits, while the US still authorizes a broader set and is only now reassessing them together. For a shopper, this is less about one banned ingredient and more about how much plasticizer regulators let seep from packaging into food.

Citation FDA food-contact substance authorizations (21 CFR 175-178); FDA 2026 post-market review of ortho-phthalates (cumulative risk assessment grouping)

Products that commonly contain it

Phthalate plasticizers migrate from packaging and processing equipment, so exposure comes through:

Fatty and processed foods in flexible plastic packaging
Gaskets, tubing, and conveyor belts in food processing
Some printed or coated food wrappers and container linings
Fast food handled with plasticized gloves and equipment

What to look for on a label

Packaging chemistry is not on the ingredient list, so the cues are indirect:

Phthalates are a migration issue, not a labeled ingredient
Glass, stainless steel, and unlined containers avoid plasticizer migration
Less packaged, less processed food generally means lower phthalate exposure

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Frequently asked questions

Are phthalates in food packaging banned in Europe?

Not banned outright, but tightly restricted. The EU authorizes only specific phthalate plasticizers in food-contact plastics and caps how much may migrate into food, tightening those limits over time.

Does the US allow phthalates in food packaging?

Yes. The FDA authorizes several ortho-phthalates for food-contact use, though it revoked some unused ones and in 2026 opened a review of the eight that remain.

How do I lower my exposure?

Favor fresh and minimally packaged food, and store and reheat food in glass or stainless steel rather than soft plastics, since plasticizers migrate most into fatty, heated foods.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed July 27, 2026 · How we assign statuses