One of the world’s biggest food lubricant manufacturers ROCOL has announced it will be removing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the formulations of its entire FOODLUBE product range.

From April 2024, 100 percent of the FOODLUBE products will be PFAS-free.

The company estimates that the new formulations will prevent around 425 kilograms of ‘forever chemicals’ reaching the environment every year.

ROCOL has also confirmed that FOODLUBE packaging is PFAS-free.

While PFAS are widely considered to be harmful to the environment, there is currently no outright ban in force today.

A universal PFAS restriction proposal is currently being debated in the European Union with the European Commission expected to respond to the proposals later this year.

ROCOL states that the launch of the new formulations demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to its end-users, reducing the industry’s overall environmental impact and highlights its market leadership in regulatory compliance.

Gareth Procter, senior product manager at ROCOL, says, “As market leaders in food grade lubricants, we are committed to being ahead of the curve, and have listened to our customers in the food industry, who have been the driving force for this change."

“To meet the increasing demands of the food sector, our customers want to know that they are supported in their efforts to meet their sustainability goals."

“We will continue to make developments in technology to ensure ROCOL is at the forefront of this topic, with the ultimate objective of all of our products being PFAS-free without any compromise to performance.”

The first of these formulations will be produced at ROCOL’s facility in Swillington, Leeds, from 2nd April this year.

ROCOL will launch its new PFAS-free FOODLUBE formulations at the Anuga FoodTec 2024 event in Cologne, Germany, from March 19 to 22, 2024.