Minnesota Bill SF 188 Aims to Reduce Americans’ Exposure to Toxic Phthalate Chemicals in Food

Minnesota state Senator Heather Gustafson is hoping to protect her constituents from a toxic class of chemicals making their way into the food system. 

On January 16, Gustafson introduced bill SF 188, which aims to pressure food manufacturers to reduce their use and levels of phthalate chemicals — plasticizers used to make plastics more flexible and durable — in their products. 

“Plastic chemicals are all too common in the food we eat and pose a serious threat to our health,” Gustafson shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine via Consumer Reports. “Minnesotans have the right to know whether the food they are eating and serving their families is contaminated with toxic phthalates. My bill will help consumers make healthier buying decisions and create a strong incentive for food manufacturers to get plastic chemicals out of our food.”

Here's what you need to know about the bill, phthalate chemicals, and what you can do about it even if you don't live in Minnesota. 

What is bill SF188?  

According to the Consumer Reports release, bill SF 188 is aimed at food manufacturers who sell packaged foods in Minnesota. If passed, it would require companies to test their products for phthalates and submit a notice to the Department of Agriculture, which would disclose the levels of all of the phthalates it detected. 

How prolific are phthalates, anyway? 

Consumer Reports noted that in 2024 it investigated popular fast foods and supermarket brands and found phthalates “in almost every food tested, often at high levels.” It noted that these phthalates usually end up in our food through packaging but also from exposure to “plastic in tubing, conveyor belts, and gloves used during food processing” and can even “enter directly into meat and produce via contaminated water and soil.”

In its report, it tested 85 foods and found the worst offender to be Annie’s Organic Cheesy Ravioli, as it contained 53,579 nanograms of phthalates in a single serving, or 75% higher than the next canned pasta in its tests. Other products of concern included the Yoplait Original Low Fat Yogurt (French Vanilla);  with 10,948 nanograms in a single serving, Cheerios Original with 10,980 nanograms, and Green Giant Cream Style Sweet Corn with 7,603 nanograms. 

“When you sit down for a meal at home with your family, the last thing you’d expect is that you’ll be eating plastic chemicals,” Brian Ronholm, the director of food policy at Consumer Reports, added. “Unfortunately, toxic phthalates are widespread in the food we eat. The good news is that our tests found that some food products had much lower levels of phthalates, demonstrating that it is possible to reduce their presence.”

Just how bad are phthalates for humans?

A number of scientific reports show that phthalates are bad. One review study found that they are present in “blood, amniotic fluid, and urine” and that they are endocrine disruptors. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences defines endocrine disruptors as “human-made chemicals that may mimic, block, or interfere with the body’s hormones” and are “associated with a wide array of health issues.” 

Clinical studies, the review study noted, show that phthalates have the potential to disrupt hormones enough to cause endometriosis, precocious puberty, asthma, and obesity. Consumer reports also noted that other studies show they can also cause diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, neurodevelopmental disorders, and infertility.

“Food manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that their products are free of hazardous levels of toxic plastic chemicals,” Avonna Starck, the state director of Clean Water Action, added. “Senator Gustafson’s bill will ensure that companies are testing their products for phthalates and encourage them to take steps to protect the public from these dangerous chemicals.”

Here's how you can reduce your exposure. 

According to Toxic-Free Future, there are a few ways you can reduce your exposure to phthalates. That includes avoiding PVC/vinyl products and packaging whenever possible, using glass or stainless steel for food storage, and avoiding the ingredients “fragrance” and “parfum.” Toxic-Free Future added that if you want to avoid exposure you should also “eat less processed food and cook more.” 

However, it added that it is “impossible for us to shop our way out of this problem. And we shouldn’t have to. When you walk into a store, you should be able to trust that the products on store shelves are safe.” That's why it stated that the only way to “protect everyone from toxic chemicals like phthalates is to change policies at government and corporate levels to make sure that safer solutions are the norm,” which is exactly what this bill aims to do.