FDA Denies Petitions to Restrict Phthalates in Food Packaging

The US Food and Drug Administration denied two petitions from environmental and health advocates to ban food packaging phthalates and accepted an industry group’s petition to stop authorizing phthalates no longer used in food containers, the agency said Thursday.

Phthalates—often used to soften plastics—also can be found in cosmetics, detergents, shower curtains, and vinyl flooring. Studies show phthalates accumulated at high enough levels can lead to serious health issues in pregnancy and childhood development.

The FDA said a 2016 petition from groups including the Environmental Defense Fund and Earthjustice lacked enough scientific data to fulfill their request to ban 28 ...