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FDA testing found no PFAS above the laboratory detection limit in more than 95% of the fresh and processed food samples it tested from its Total Diet Study. Seafood was a notable exception in the sample results: PFAS appeared in 46 of 67 Total Diet Study seafood samples and 60 of 81 samples in a separate 2022 targeted survey. Those figures describe the samples tested—not the share of food on store shelves that contains PFAS. FDA identified a likely health concern from estimated PFOA exposure associated with some imported canned clam samples from China, but it did not conclude that all seafood, clams, or detected PFAS levels are unsafe.
How PFAS can get into food
PFAS is the name for a broad group of chemicals sometimes called “forever chemicals” because many persist in the environment. Food may be affected when crops or animals are raised in contaminated areas, or when food is processed there. FDA also says small amounts can enter food through processing and cookware. These are possible pathways; their presence does not mean every food exposed to them will contain measurable PFAS.
FDA describes its food-testing method as a validated laboratory method for 30 PFAS in diverse foods. Its testing includes foods bought for the Total Diet Study (TDS), which covers commonly eaten produce, breads, dairy products, meat, fish, poultry, and processed foods, as well as targeted sampling focused on particular foods. See FDA’s overview of food testing and dietary-exposure assessment and its PFAS overview.
What FDA’s food samples showed
In the TDS results summarized by FDA, 1,290 of 1,352 fresh and processed food samples had no PFAS detected above the method detection limit—more than 95%. A result below that limit does not establish that a sample contained absolutely no PFAS; it means the method did not detect a level above its threshold. FDA’s PFAS food questions and answers provide the sample summary.
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Seafood had more frequent detections in the tested samples:
| Sampling | Samples tested | Samples with one or more PFAS detected | What the figure describes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TDS seafood | 67 | 46 (69%) | Detection frequency in the tested TDS seafood samples |
| Targeted seafood survey, 2022 | 81 | 60 (74%) | Detection frequency in a targeted set of seafood samples |
The 2022 targeted survey covered clams, cod, crab, pollock, salmon, shrimp, tilapia, and tuna. FDA reported that this survey found detectable PFAS in a greater percentage of samples, more types of PFAS, and higher levels in multiple samples than earlier TDS seafood testing. The percentages are not estimates of how much seafood in the general market is contaminated, and they should not be used alone to rank food categories by health risk. FDA’s published analytical results explain the limits of interpreting food-by-food sample counts.
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What the canned-clam finding means
FDA assessed estimated PFOA exposure associated with some imported canned clam samples from China as likely a health concern, using reference values available at the time. Two distributors issued voluntary recalls. In subsequent testing, FDA detected at least one PFAS in each of 12 processed clam samples from the two processors associated with the highest PFOA findings, and detected PFOA in all 12.
This is a finding about particular tested samples and their estimated exposure—not a determination that all canned clams, all clams from China, or seafood generally pose the same concern. FDA said most detections in the wider 2022 seafood survey were not likely health concerns under the reference values then available. A detectable chemical and a health-risk conclusion are different things: detection means the measured level exceeded the method’s threshold; the risk assessment considers the amount of food people typically eat, the measured concentration, and toxicity information for the specific PFAS.
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How FDA assesses potential health concern
FDA currently has reference values for ten PFAS: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, HFPO-DA (GenX), PFBS, PFBA, PFHxA, PFDA, and 6:2 FTS. It assesses applicable PFAS individually in food samples. The agency says it does not yet include possible additive effects when multiple PFAS occur together, though it is exploring approaches to evaluate mixtures. As reference values and scientific understanding evolve, assessments may change. Details are in FDA’s explanation of its testing and dietary-exposure assessment.
Why these results do not settle PFAS exposure from the whole diet
FDA cautions that the number of samples for individual foods is limited. TDS testing can identify foods that may warrant more targeted study, but the results are not definitive estimates of PFAS levels across the general food supply. To estimate exposure from the overall diet, FDA uses a complete market basket of 24 regional and two national collections. Its public materials describe this work as ongoing; they do not establish a completed current PFAS market basket or a definitive current U.S. population exposure estimate from the total diet.
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A later FDA release reported six additional 2024 regional collections, supplementing eight collections posted earlier. That update does not establish that the full PFAS market basket is complete. See the FDA release on additional 2024 PFAS results, along with the agency’s April 2024 update.
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FDA says grease-proofing agents containing PFAS were no longer being sold in the United States as of February 2024. In January 2025, it announced that 35 food-contact notifications for PFAS grease-proofers used in paper and paperboard packaging were no longer effective after those uses were abandoned. This change concerns one food-contact source; it does not remove PFAS already present in the environment or eliminate the possibility of contamination during growing, raising, or processing.
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