The What, How, and Why of PFAS in Food Testing: Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Expectations

Lorna De Leoz, Agilent Global Food Segment Director, addresses the growing concern surrounding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food supply. These “forever chemicals” accumulate in the environment and in people, and are associated with serious health risks including cancer and immune suppression. PFAS are notoriously difficult to detect and remove because they originate from multiple sources (water, soil, packaging) and encompass nearly 15,000 individual compounds. Because of their pervasive nature, laboratories must meet extremely low detection limits, meaning robust analytical testing is essential to managing exposure. Agilent is helping the industry address these challenges with simplified, scalable, end-to-end testing solutions, such as pass-through cleanup workflows and clean components, that reduce contamination risk and help laboratories stay ahead of regulatory demands.