Kenya’s exporters to the European Union (EU) market face higher costs as they race to comply with new rules that limit the amount of chemicals in food-contact packaging and set targets to cut the bloc's waste, especially of oil-derived plastics.
Effective from August 12, 2026, the EU has banned the importation of food substances such as fruits and vegetables packed in cartons with high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’.
