Committee advances bill to require phthalate testing and public reporting for packaged foods

House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee members took up House File 44, a bill that would require food manufacturers to test packaged food products for orthophthalates and publish the results online, during a committee meeting that included in-person and virtual testimony.

Supporters said the measure is meant to inform consumers and prompt manufacturers to reduce contamination. “We want food manufacturers to do a phthalate test once every two years and to make the results public,” Laurie Olinger of the Coalition for Plastic Reduction told the committee. Hannah Resendiz Olson, a community health specialist and fellow with Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate, said phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that pose elevated risks to infants and children. Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumer Reports, described testing the group conducted of 85 packaged foods and said the organization found phthalates in nearly all items…