Report Says Food Remains Free of ‘Forever Chemicals’

Fresh testing of so-called “forever chemicals” in Jersey’s food and environment has found the island’s food supply is safe, according to the government.

An independent scientific advisory panel reported that many food samples contained perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at levels too low to detect, with most of the remainder below European Union maximum limits.

The main exception was pork liver. A sample tested twice was found to contain PFAS above the EU’s permitted level, with the second test recording a higher concentration than the first.

PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they break down very slowly and can accumulate in the environment and the human body. Previous assessments by the advisory panel have linked exposure to serious health conditions.

The latest findings follow earlier work by consultants who said in May that PFAS contamination near Jersey Airport was more extensive than previously thought, largely due to the use of firefighting foam during the 1990s.

The panel said levels of PFAS in Jersey Royal and maincrop potatoes were below the EU’s indicative level of concern, apart from one sample from the plume area near the airport which tested slightly higher. Overall, half of the potato samples taken across the island contained PFAS below detectable levels.

Milk samples showed no detectable PFAS, while eggs contained less than half of the EU’s maximum permitted level. Fish, seafood, beef and pork meat samples were all found to be within EU safety limits.

Environment Minister Deputy Steve Luce described the results as “very reassuring”.

“They show our food supply is safe and that PFAS levels in our agricultural produce are very low and in many cases undetectable,” he said.

Mr Luce added that soil testing indicated PFAS contamination had not spread beyond the known plume area and that there was no evidence of a wider, island-wide problem.

The advisory panel has also published draft recommendations on managing PFAS in the environment. The minister said he would formally respond to those proposals in February 2026.