Pactiv Evergreen · Disposable Food Containers
Pactiv OPS Sens Hinged Lid Clear Sandwich Container
Polystyrene container with undisclosed coating chemistry raises concern.
This clear polystyrene hinged container has a proprietary coating whose chemistry is not stated. Water-repellent treatments on food containers have historically used PFAS. Pactiv has no public PFAS statement on record for this product.
The better-graded swap
Eco-Products
Eco-Products Compostable Clear Clamshell Hinged Food
100/100 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
Clear polystyrene (PS) plastic with proprietary coating
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
What Pactiv OPS Sens Hinged Lid Clear Sandwich is made of, ingredients and materials
This container is clear polystyrene (PS, #6 plastic), a rigid thermoplastic chosen for clarity and cost. Pactiv has applied a proprietary coating to the hinged lid seal to make it grease-resistant, which typically requires fluorinated compounds (PFAS chemistry). The polystyrene itself does not leach BPA or phthalates under normal cold storage, but the coating's composition is not publicly disclosed by Pactiv Evergreen.
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
Hinged lid seal is almost certainly coated with fluorinated compounds to repel grease and oil. Pactiv does not disclose the specific PFAS chemistry or whether it meets any low-PFAS standard, making migration risk under normal use unquantified but not implausible for fatty foods.
Source, ATSDR ↗Polystyrene brittleness and microplastic shedding
Polystyrene becomes brittle with age and repeated stress (opening and closing hinges). Microscopic fragments may shed into food if the container is damaged, cracked, or very old, though visible breakage is more common than invisible microplastic generation.
Coating degradation over time
The proprietary grease-resistant coating is not specified to be durable indefinitely. Exposure to acidic foods (vinegars, citrus), high temperatures, or aggressive cleaning could degrade the coating and increase chemical leaching, but real-world data on degradation rate is not public.
Migration with fatty or oily foods
Fatty foods are known to enhance migration of coating chemicals from food-contact polymers. Extended storage of oily salads, meats, or dressings in this container may increase extraction of fluorinated or other additives from the hinged seal, though acute toxicity from short-term use is considered low.
What’s reassuring
BPA & bisphenols
Polystyrene does not inherently contain BPA (a polycarbonate additive) or phthalates (PVC plasticizers). No recalls or test data linking this product to either chemical have been published, making this hazard class not a concern for the base resin.
Source, FDA ↗The full breakdown
The brand's record and disclosure
Pactiv Evergreen has not published a PFAS avoidance policy or third-party testing results for their sandwich containers. The company does not transparently disclose coating chemistry on product packaging or safety datasheets available to consumers. No formal recalls related to chemical leaching from this product line are documented in FDA or CPSC records, but absence of recall does not confirm safety of the coating.
How it compares in its category
Clear polystyrene hinged containers dominate the deli and sandwich market because they are cheap and transparent. Alternatives include uncoated paper-based clamshells (not a material linked to PFAS but with lower grease barrier performance) and PLA compostable containers (also often coated with PFAS for oil resistance). This product sits in the mainstream tier, no special certification for PFAS-free, but also no known recalls, making it typical rather than premium or problematic.
If you buy it
Use only for cold or room-temperature foods; do not microwave or heat, as this can accelerate any coating degradation and chemical migration. Replace containers if the lid seal becomes visibly worn, cloudy, or degraded. Store away from fatty or acidic foods for extended periods, as these can stress the coating. If PFAS exposure is a health concern for your household, choose uncoated paper containers instead, accepting reduced grease barrier.
What we don’t know
- Basis
- Model estimate, 65% confidence, not a lab result
- Lab test
- None on record for this exact product
- Brand statement
- Pactiv Evergreen has made none
Formulations change between production runs, so check the current label. How we grade.
Better-graded alternatives in Disposable Food Containers
Eco-Products
Compostable Clear Clamshell Hinged Food
- Compostable resin (PLA/PBAT blend, plant-based)
- A third party reports verifying it as PFAS-free
- Thermal degradation and chemical release at use temperatures
Lipak
ECO- Lipak Wholesale Sugarcane Clamshell To-Go Boxes
- Sugarcane bagasse (compostable fiber)
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bleaching agents and residual processing chemicals
3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Fabri-Kal
Kal-Tainer 8 Ounce Squat White Container 10 / CS
- polypropylene (PP) container, uncoated
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Microplastics
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
More disposable food containers 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.