SECTION 1. used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:—

“Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances” or “PFAS chemical” or “PFAS”, a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.

“Agricultural products”, any vegetable, fruit, dairy, meat, fish, and poultry, and agricultural inputs, such as, but not limited to, feed, water, fertilizer, pesticides, sold commercially in Massachusetts.

“Food products”, any beverage, including alcoholic beverages, beverage or food additives, or food product sold commercially in Massachusetts.

SECTION 2. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection shall procure or otherwise employ an external research organization, which has the capacity to study per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the effect PFAS has on agricultural products and other food products; provided, that the research organization shall have: (1) extensive experience with a wide variety of agricultural products and environmental matrices, including, but not limited to, plants and animals; (2) a current QAPP (“Quality Assurance Project Plan”) through the United States Environmental Protection Agency; (3) current sampling and chain of custody protocols; (4) experience handling complex agricultural matrices; and (5) access to state-of-the art mass spectrometers. The study shall include findings on the levels of PFAS found in: (1) in agricultural and food products sold in Massachusetts stores; (2) locally sourced agricultural products; and (3) agricultural inputs including, but not limited to, feed, water, fertilizer, and pesticides. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection shall make said report publicly available on the Department’s website; provided further, that the report shall be broken down into laymen’s terms for reading digestibility.

The commissioner shall file a progress report in writing of the findings, including food and agricultural sources of contamination, within 365 days of the passage of this act; provided, that

the report shall be filed with the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on environment, natural resources, and agriculture on or before August 31, 2024.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect no later than 180 days after passage of this act.