Karat · Grease-Resistant Butcher & Deli Paper
Karat Deli Wrap / Paper Liner Sheets
Contact the brand for coating details before purchase.
Karat deli wrap has a waterproof coating but conceals its PFAS status and coating type. No third-party testing confirms the coating's contents.
The better-graded swap
IDL Packaging
Idl Packaging White Butcher Paper 18" x 12000" Natural Butcher Paper Roll for Meat and Fish
95/100 safety
Same rubric that flunked this product. The swap earned Excellent.
Still want this one anyway? Check the price on Amazon. We’d swap it.
Material
bleached paper with waterproof coating, type unspecified
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
What’s concerning
Category baseline
The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
No PFAS disclosure
No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS.
PFAS
Coating chemistry is undisclosed. Waterproof paper coatings historically used fluorinated compounds; Karat has not published testing or certification ruling this out. Migration risk increases with fatty foods, heat, or prolonged contact.
Source, ATSDR ↗Coating degradation and microparticulate shedding
Repeated folding, exposure to moisture, or contact with oily foods can cause coating delamination or spalling. This product does not disclose durability testing, so risk of visible or invisible coating fragments in food is unquantified.
Migration of coating polymers into food
Without coating specification, leaching of oligomers or additives cannot be ruled out. Industry testing shows fluorinated and some non-fluorinated food-contact coatings can leach trace chemicals; Karat has not published extraction studies for this product.
What’s reassuring
Bleach residues
Bleached kraft paper is industry standard for food contact in the US and meets FDA requirements for residual chlorine. No specific safety alerts on record for Karat's bleaching process.
Allergen cross-contamination from coating materials
No known allergens intrinsic to bleached paper or standard food-contact coatings, but cross-contamination in manufacturing is possible and not disclosed.
The full breakdown
What it's made of and why it matters
Karat Deli Wrap is bleached kraft paper with an applied waterproof coating of unspecified chemistry. The bleaching process itself is standard and low-risk, but the waterproof coating is the critical unknown, it may contain fluorinated compounds (PFAS), silicone, or other polymers to repel moisture and oils. This coating is what enables the product to perform as a deli liner, but without transparency from Karat on its chemistry, you cannot assess leaching risk into foods, especially fatty or acidic items that can accelerate migration.
The brand's record and disclosure
Karat is a foodservice packaging supplier owned by Footprint, a company with growing sustainability messaging but limited transparency on chemical composition of coating systems. No published testing data, safety sheets, or PFAS certifications are readily available for this specific product line. The brand does not publicly disclose whether coatings are PFAS-free, PFAS-reduced, or unscreened. This silence on a high-scrutiny material class is a red flag for due diligence.
How it compares in its category
Deli wrap alternatives range from uncoated kraft (poor grease barrier), to silicone-coated (generally accepted as lower concern than fluorinated coatings), to certified compostable paper wraps (often still coated, with disclosed materials). Karat's product is middle-tier, it performs adequately but offers no differentiating safety certification. Competitors like Bagcraft and some private-label foodservice lines now market PFAS-free or PFAS-tested versions, making Karat's silence a competitive disadvantage for safety-conscious buyers.
If you buy it
Use only for room-temperature storage and cold deli applications. Do not use in direct contact with hot foods, oily foods (cheese, cured meats), or acidic foods (pickles, vinegar-based items) without a secondary barrier, as heat and chemical aggressiveness can accelerate coating breakdown and leaching. Replace wraps if they show visible damage, grease staining, or whitening. Store in cool, dry conditions; do not expose to prolonged heat before use.
What we don’t know
- Basis
- Model estimate, 45% confidence, not a lab result
- Lab test
- None on record for this exact product
- Brand statement
- Karat has made none
Formulations change between production runs, so check the current label. How we grade.
Better-graded alternatives in Grease-Resistant Butcher & Deli Paper
IDL Packaging
White Butcher Paper 18" x 12000" Natural Butcher Paper Roll for Meat and Fish
unbleached natural kraft paper
Mold or microbial growth
Limited concern
Brand PFAS statement on record, which we have not verified.
⚠Starting grade for this product type
Gordon Paper
Butcher Paper
kraft paper, bleached sulfate pulp
Fiber shedding and ingestion
Limited concern
Lower concern; uncoated butcher paper has minimal PFAS risk.
⚠Starting grade for this product type
36" - Unbleached Butcher Paper Rolls - 1/Roll
unbleached kraft paper, no disclosed coating
Mold or bacterial growth on stored rolls
Limited concern
Fiber shedding into fatty foods
Limited concern
Lower risk due to lack of grease-resistant treatment.
⚠Starting grade for this product type
More grease-resistant butcher & deli paper grades
How we score, every product runs through the same public 0-100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.