PFAS Class Actions Reach Food, Beverage and Alcohol Companies

PFAS, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances better known as “forever chemicals,” have earned that nickname in the environment. They are now earning it in the courtroom too. In recent years, the plaintiffs’ bar has steadily expanded PFAS claims from the wrapper to the product itself, from butter and pet food packaging to juice, sports drinks and now a pint of IPA. With no federal PFAS standard for food or drink, plaintiffs are bringing their own lab results to court.

In “Something’s Brewing: PFAS Class Actions Reach Food, Beverage and Alcohol Companies,” colleagues Claudia Vetesi, Carrie L. Bonnington, Ashleigh K. Myers, Christopher Thiemann examine where cases stand, what regulators are (and are not) doing, and how to keep a single test from becoming a class action.