To understand the situation of 18 kinds of phthalic acid esters in plastic food packaging. Methods The contents of phthalic acid esters in 280 plastic food packaging of different materials were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) following standard GB/T 21928-2008. The samples were extracted ultrasonically with n-hexane, then separated by HP-5MS capillary column and detected by single quadrupole mass spectrometry. Retention time and characteristic ions were used as qualitative evidence, and external standard was used for quantification.Results The content of 18 kinds of phthalate in 95% of the 62 batches of PVC materials were qualified, all 82 batches of composite materials and 136 batches of other materials were qualified. Diethylhexylphthalate residues were detected, and seriously exceeded the standard limit in 3 polyvinyl chloride materials. Conclusion The phthalic acid esters exposure from plastic food packaging was low, while polyvinyl chloride materials put a potential health risk to human. Regulation and monitoring on phthalic acid esters in plastic food packaging should be strengthened.