Seafood is the food category most likely to contain PFAS, with detectable levels found in roughly 74% of samples in a 2022 FDA survey of common fish and shellfish. But PFAS can also show up in meat, dairy, eggs, certain vegetables, and foods that come in grease-resistant packaging. The good news: in the FDA’s most recent round of broad food testing, about 93% of samples had no detectable PFAS at all.
Seafood Has the Highest Risk
When the FDA tests a wide range of foods through its Total Diet Study, seafood dominates the positive results. Of 62 food samples where PFAS were detected, 46 were seafood. In a more targeted 2022 survey covering clams, cod, pollock, salmon, shrimp, tilapia, and tuna, 60 out of 81 samples contained at least one type of PFAS.
Shellfish are a particular concern. Clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops are filter feeders, meaning they pump large volumes of water through their bodies to extract food. That process also concentrates environmental contaminants. Chinese-sourced clams in one retail study had elevated levels of PFOA at 2.4 nanograms per gram, which exceeds the maximum limits set by the European Union. When the FDA retested processed clams from two producers in 2023 and 2024, all 12 samples contained PFAS, and every one tested positive for PFOA specifically.
Among finfish, species and origin matter. A study measuring PFAS across retail seafood in the United States found total levels ranging from 0.12 to 20 nanograms per gram, with the highest concentrations in smelt sourced from Estonia. One compound, PFBS, appeared in every single seafood sample tested. Freshwater fish caught near industrial sites or military bases tend to carry higher loads than ocean-caught species, because PFAS concentrate more easily in smaller, enclosed water systems.
Meat, Dairy, and Eggs
Livestock pick up PFAS through contaminated drinking water, soil, and feed. Once ingested, certain PFAS compounds are absorbed in the gut and accumulate in muscle tissue, organs, milk, and eggs. This makes animal products a secondary but meaningful route of human exposure.
Research on beef cattle shows that PFAS builds up over an animal’s lifetime. A daily accumulation model developed for beef cattle tracks how even low background concentrations in forage and water lead to measurable residues in muscle by the time the animal reaches slaughter. Dairy cattle studied over roughly nine months on background-level PFAS showed detectable compounds in plasma, and a larger study of 180 dairy cows with lifetime exposure to contaminated feed and water confirmed ongoing accumulation. Chickens pass PFAS into both meat and eggs through similar pathways.
Maine has responded to this by setting specific action levels: 3.4 parts per billion of PFOS in beef, 4.7 ppb in chicken eggs, and 210 parts per trillion in milk. If a farm’s products exceed those thresholds, they can’t be sold commercially. The European Union has set even stricter limits across a wider range of foods. The United States does not yet have federal limits for PFAS in meat or dairy.
Which Fruits and Vegetables Absorb PFAS
Plants can take up PFAS through contaminated soil and irrigation water, but the amount varies dramatically by crop type. Leafy greens, root vegetables, and legumes accumulate the most. These plants either have large surface areas that contact soil (lettuce, spinach, kale) or grow directly in it (carrots, potatoes, beets), giving PFAS more opportunity to enter the plant tissue.
Fruits and grains absorb significantly less. If you’re gardening in an area with known or suspected PFAS contamination, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommends focusing on crops like tomatoes, strawberries, and corn, which tend to take up lower amounts. This doesn’t mean leafy greens from the grocery store are a concern for most people. Commercially grown produce from uncontaminated farmland carries minimal risk. The issue is primarily relevant for home gardens near industrial sites, airports, or areas where PFAS-containing firefighting foam has been used.
Food Packaging as a Source
PFAS aren’t only in the food itself. They’re also in some of the packaging food comes in. Grease-resistant coatings applied to fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, takeout paperboard containers, and even pet food bags have historically contained PFAS compounds. These coatings prevent oil and grease from soaking through paper and cardboard, but they can migrate into the food, especially when the food is hot or fatty.
The FDA has been working with manufacturers to phase out certain PFAS from food packaging. Some major fast-food chains have voluntarily moved away from PFAS-treated wrappers. But the transition is incomplete, and older packaging formulations are still in circulation. Microwave popcorn bags remain a commonly cited example because the combination of heat, oil, and a sealed grease-proof bag creates ideal conditions for PFAS transfer.
How Much of the Food Supply Is Affected
The FDA’s most recent Total Diet Study results, covering six additional regional collections in 2024, found that 503 out of 542 samples (92.8%) had no detectable PFAS. The remaining 7.2% had trace detections of one or more compounds. That’s broadly reassuring, but the averages mask the uneven distribution of the problem. Seafood is disproportionately affected, and foods produced near contamination sources can have levels far above what’s typical.
States like Michigan and Maine have taken the lead on monitoring. Michigan has conducted routine surface water testing since 2021 to identify potential contamination sources that could affect farms. Maine’s action levels for meat, eggs, and milk represent some of the only enforceable food-safety thresholds for PFAS in the country. For most consumers, the practical takeaway is that no single food needs to be avoided entirely, but eating a varied diet naturally limits exposure from any one source. If you eat seafood regularly, mixing in ocean-caught fish alongside shellfish, and varying your species, reduces the chance of concentrated exposure from a single high-PFAS source.