PFAS in Food Storage Containers, Which Brands Grade Best and Worst

Based on available materials and data, glass food storage containers from Pyrex grade as the strongest performers in our database, with several sets earning our "Excellent" tier at 80 out of 100 on our model-based safety estimate. Rubbermaid and OXO plastic sets generally land in the "Good" range at 70 out of 100, while one Rubbermaid plastic line, the Rubbermaid Brilliance StainShield Plastic Food Storage Containers, falls to "Poor" at 40 out of 100. These grades are model-based estimates built from reviewed materials and public disclosure, not laboratory certainty, and none of this should be read as a claim that any product is "PFAS-free" or "safe" in an absolute sense.

If you want the shortest possible answer, glass containers with snap-lock or locking lids, particularly the Pyrex lines listed below, currently sit at the top of our comparison, while textured or heavily stain-resistant plastic containers with proprietary coatings tend to sit at the bottom. That pattern holds across brands, not just within one line, and it lines up with what we see across other kitchen categories, from cast iron skillets to bundt pans, where simpler material construction tends to correlate with lower modeled concern. For a full breakdown of every container we've graded, use our product finder to search by brand or material.

Summary comparison table

Product	PFAS grade	Verdict
Pyrex Freshlock 10-Piece Glass Storage Set	Excellent (80/100)	Top-tier estimate, glass body with locking lid design
Pyrex 6-Piece Food Storage Container Set	Excellent (80/100)	Strong estimate, straightforward glass and plastic lid combo
PYREX 18-Piece Clear Glass Food Storage Container Set	Excellent (80/100)	Large set, consistent glass construction across pieces
Pyrex Glass Meal Prep Set	Excellent (80/100)	Meal-prep sizing, same favorable glass profile
Pyrex Simply Store 6-Piece 2-Cup Glass Storage Container Set	Excellent (80/100)	Budget-friendly, same tier as premium Pyrex sets
Pyrex Simply Store 10-Piece Glass Storage Container Set	Excellent (80/100)	Solid all-rounder, wide size range
Rubbermaid EasyStore Medium Rectangle Containers 18-Piece Set	Good (70/100)	Solid plastic option, mid-tier estimate
Rubbermaid Brilliance 36-Pc. Food Storage Set	Good (70/100)	Popular clear-lid line, respectable modeled score
Rubbermaid Flex Seal 28-pc. Food Storage Set	Good (70/100)	Flexible lid seal, comparable to Brilliance line
OXO POP Container Baking Set	Good (70/100)	Pantry-style storage, consistent mid-tier grade
OXO Good Grips Prep & Go Leakproof Containers	Good (70/100)	On-the-go format, same modeled tier as other OXO sets
OXO Good Grips Prep & Go Container Set	Good (70/100)	Everyday set, no standout concerns beyond plastic baseline
Rubbermaid Brilliance StainShield Plastic Food Storage Containers	Poor (40/100)	Lowest graded tier in our database, stain-resistant coating drags the score down

How we're grading these, and what the numbers actually mean

Every grade in this guide is a model-based estimate built from publicly available materials disclosures, packaging claims, and known manufacturing patterns for the category, not a laboratory test of the specific unit you'd buy. When we say a product scores "Excellent" or 80 out of 100, we mean our model finds lower concern relative to other food storage containers, based on available materials and data. We are not saying the product is "PFAS-free" or "safe," and we distinguish brand-stated claims (what a company says on its packaging or website) from third-party verified claims (what an independent lab or regulator has confirmed). In this category, most of what we have is brand-stated material composition, so treat every grade here as directional, not definitive.

Pyrex, the clear leader across the board

Every Pyrex product in our database lands in the "Excellent" tier at 80 out of 100, and the pattern is consistent enough to be the headline of this guide. That includes the Pyrex Freshlock 10-Piece Glass Storage Set, the Pyrex 6-Piece Food Storage Container Set, the PYREX 18-Piece Clear Glass Food Storage Container Set, the Pyrex Glass Meal Prep Set, and both Simply Store sets, the 6-Piece 2-Cup version and the 10-Piece version.

Materials. These sets use tempered glass or soda-lime glass bodies with polypropylene lids, which is a standard combination across the glass storage category. Glass itself is a naturally low-concern material from a PFAS standpoint because it doesn't require the kind of grease-resistant or non-stick chemical treatments that plastics sometimes get.

Brand claims. Pyrex markets these sets around durability, oven-to-freezer versatility, and airtight or locking lid seals. We treat these as brand-stated claims about performance, not independent verification of chemical composition.

Pros. Consistent 80/100 grade across six different sets and configurations. Glass is easy to clean without relying on non-stick coatings. Widely available and reasonably priced for the category.

Cons. Glass is heavier and more breakable than plastic. The lids themselves are still plastic, and our grade reflects the assembled product, not a guarantee about every gasket or seal component. An "Excellent" model-based grade is not the same as a certified lab result confirming zero PFAS content.

Rubbermaid, a mixed picture depending on the line

Rubbermaid is the most interesting brand in this comparison because it spans nearly the entire grading range in our database, from "Good" down to "Poor," depending on the specific product line.

The Good-tier Rubbermaid lines

The Rubbermaid EasyStore Medium Rectangle Containers 18-Piece Set, the Rubbermaid Brilliance 36-Pc. Food Storage Set, and the Rubbermaid Flex Seal 28-pc. Food Storage Set all sit at 70 out of 100, our "Good" tier.

Materials. These are polypropylene or Tritan-style plastic containers with silicone or flexible plastic lid seals. Rubbermaid markets the Brilliance line around clarity and stain resistance, and the Flex Seal line around a flexible gasket that seals tightly.

Brand claims. Rubbermaid states these products meet food-contact safety standards for their materials, which is a brand-stated claim, not a third-party PFAS-specific certification as far as our reviewed sources show.

Pros. Lighter and more shatter-resistant than glass. Stackable designs are common across the line. Mid-tier grade is respectable relative to the plastic storage category as a whole.

Cons. Plastic containers generally carry more modeled uncertainty than glass simply because of the additive and coating processes involved in manufacturing. A 70/100 is a meaningfully lower estimate than the 80/100 Pyrex sets, even though both are described in everyday language as "decent."

The Poor-tier Rubbermaid line

The outlier is the Rubbermaid Brilliance StainShield Plastic Food Storage Containers, which grades at just 40 out of 100 in our model, the "Poor" tier and the lowest score in this entire comparison.

Materials. This line adds a "StainShield" surface treatment on top of the standard Brilliance plastic body, designed to resist staining from foods like tomato sauce and turmeric.

Brand claims. Rubbermaid markets StainShield as a stain-resistant technology built into the plastic surface. That is a brand-stated performance claim about staining, and it is not a statement about PFAS content one way or the other in the materials we reviewed. Our model-based grade is lower here specifically because stain-resistant and grease-resistant surface treatments, as a category, are the same functional family of chemistry that has historically included PFAS-based coatings in other product types, from carpets and rugs to grease-resistant paper napkins.

Pros. Genuinely effective at resisting stains from pigmented foods, based on brand marketing and general category performance. Same stackable, clear-lid design as the rest of the Brilliance family.

Cons. Lowest score in our database for this category. Any surface treatment engineered specifically for stain or grease resistance deserves extra scrutiny, and this is the clearest example in our food storage data of a specialty coating dragging a score down relative to an otherwise similar product line.

OXO, consistently mid-tier

OXO's food storage lineup in our database is the most consistent of the three brands, with every product landing exactly at 70 out of 100, the "Good" tier. That includes the OXO POP Container Baking Set, the OXO Good Grips Prep & Go Leakproof Containers, and the OXO Good Grips Prep & Go Container Set.

Materials. These sets use a mix of BPA-free plastic bodies with silicone or rubber gasket seals, standard for both pantry-style canisters (POP line) and portable meal containers (Prep & Go line).

Brand claims. OXO markets these products around airtight seals, leakproof performance for travel, and BPA-free plastic. These are brand-stated claims about the specific chemicals OXO chose to disclose or avoid, not comprehensive third-party PFAS testing results.

Pros. Identical 70/100 grade across very different use cases, from pantry storage to lunch-on-the-go, suggesting a consistent baseline material approach across the OXO line. Leakproof gasket designs are useful for portable meals.

Cons. Like the Rubbermaid Good-tier products, these plastic sets sit ten points below the Pyrex glass sets in our model. None of the three OXO products reach the "Excellent" tier in our current data.

What to avoid

Based on the pattern in our database, a few categories of red flags stand out when shopping for food storage containers.

• Proprietary stain-resistant or grease-resistant coatings on plastic containers. The clearest example we have is the Rubbermaid Brilliance StainShield line, which grades far below its non-coated Brilliance siblings. Any marketing language around "stain-shield," "stain-guard," or similar surface technology is worth researching further before buying, the same way you'd scrutinize a coating claim on non-stick knife sets or a waterproofing claim on waterproof boots.
• Vague "food-safe plastic" claims with no material specificity. Brand statements that don't name the actual polymer or coating leave more uncertainty in our model, and uncertainty tends to push scores down, not up.
• Assuming all plastic containers are equal. Our data shows an 80/100 versus 40/100 spread within products that all look similar on a store shelf. The name on the box matters less than the specific coating and construction of that specific line.
• Overlooking the lid. Even in the best-graded glass sets, the lid is typically plastic or silicone. A container's overall grade reflects the assembled product, not just the glass or plastic body in isolation.

These same buying instincts carry over to other kitchen and household categories. If you're auditing your kitchen more broadly, our whole-house filters guide and pizza box roundup cover two other common sources of PFAS exposure in and around food.

Our pick

Based on available materials and data, the Pyrex glass lines are the strongest overall choice in this comparison. All six Pyrex sets we reviewed, including the Freshlock 10-Piece Set and the Simply Store 10-Piece Set, land at 80 out of 100 in our model, ten points ahead of the best plastic options from Rubbermaid and OXO. This is a modeled estimate of lower relative concern, not a certification that these products are free of PFAS or otherwise "safe" in an absolute sense. If glass isn't practical for your kitchen, the "Good" tier Rubbermaid and OXO lines are a reasonable middle ground, but we'd steer around the StainShield line specifically given its outlier score. For a broader look at how food storage compares to other categories we track, start with our product finder or browse related roundups like cast iron skillets and bundt pans for other kitchen essentials.

Frequently asked questions

Does a high PFAS grade mean a container is guaranteed PFAS-free?

No. A high grade such as 80 out of 100 reflects our model-based estimate of lower concern given available materials and public disclosure, not a laboratory-confirmed guarantee of zero PFAS content. We rely on a mix of brand-stated material information and known manufacturing patterns, and we clearly separate brand claims from independently verified results whenever that distinction is available.

Why does glass generally outscore plastic in this category?

Glass containers don't typically require the same grease-resistant, stain-resistant, or non-stick surface treatments that some plastic containers use, and those treatments are the same general chemical family that has historically raised PFAS concerns in other product categories. That said, the lids on glass sets are usually still plastic, so the overall product grade reflects the full assembly, not just the glass body.

Is there a proven health risk from using a lower-graded container?

Our grades reflect modeled material and disclosure concerns, not a clinical health determination. Any broader research linking PFAS exposure to health outcomes describes an association, not a proven causal effect for any individual product or user, and you should treat our grades as a starting point for further research rather than a medical conclusion.