AbstractAlthough plastics have made significant inroads in the packaging area, little work has been done in the U.S. to evaluate their effect on the taste and odor of the package contents. This is especially relevant for food, beverage, liquor, and bottled water.Rohm and Haas contracted with an independent consulting firm, which uses a professional panel familiar with the effects of packaging, to assess the sensory impact of different plastics on the taste of water. Four types of plastics were tested: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), polycarbonate (PC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).Two forms of each polymer were evaluated, bottles and plaques, which were aged in water for four weeks at room and elevated temperature (120°F). The professional panel evaluated the taste and odor of the water on a numerical intensity scale and characterized any observed effect with words. The numerical rating permitted the effects of the plastic materials to be compared directly.PVC had the lowest contribution to taste and odor of all of the plastics. PVC was followed by PET and then PC and HDPE. Therefore the two current packaging materials, HDPE and PC, were not the best! This implies that water and other taste‐sensitive products could be more appealing if packaged in appropriately formulated