If You're Wondering How Microplastics Even Get In Your Food, Read This
Food contaminants are always a hot topic, as we consumers have a natural desire to know exactly what we’re putting in our bodies when we purchase, prepare and eat our groceries. Social media broadens the audience for these conversations and debates, and over the course of the past year, we saw one food safety subject rise to the top of the algorithm: microplastics.
TikTok couldn’t stop talking about microplastics and why they should be avoided … but what, exactly, are microplastics? How do they get into our food, and what potential health consequences can arise as a result?
We turned to a group of food scientists, physicians and food safety experts to get some answers, and they provided a full tutorial on these much-discussed particles.
What are microplastics?
“Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size, often invisible to the naked eye,” explained Dr. John La Puma, founder of ChefMD and Chef Clinic. To give some context for that size, Jessica Gavin, a certified food scientist located in Orange County, California, told us that microplastics are generally “about as small as a pencil eraser.”
Gavin went on to say that microplastics are “solid particles made from synthetic polymers [that] do not dissolve or degrade naturally, persisting in the environment for a long time. They can either be manufactured to be small, such as the resin pellets found in various consumer products, or [can] result from the breakdown of larger plastic items.”
An even smaller and sneakier version of these particles comes in the form of “nanoplastics, [which are] less than one micron wide, much thinner than human hair, and too tiny to be seen with the naked eye. These plastics vary in size, shape, and color and include different synthetic materials and chemical additives,” Gavin said.
How do microplastics make their way into our food?
So where do microplastics come from and how do they weasel their way into our food and water? La Puma said that microplastics “enter our food through various routes, including contamination of water sources, soil and air.”
Gavin said that “microplastics primarily enter our food through environmental contamination, as plastics break down in places like landfills and leach into the soil and water where food is grown or caught. These particles can be found in various foods, including seafood, fish, crustaceans, salt, sugar, honey, bottled water and drinking water.”
When environmental pollution gets into the food supply for animals, microplastics can be transferred to the humans who ultimately eat those animals. “Seafood can contain microplastics due to plastic that ends up in the ocean and gets ingested by sea life, often magnifying as larger sea animals consume smaller organisms. Some animals that humans consume, such as chickens and cows, may consume feed containing microplastics; other animals may ingest microplastics by ingesting smaller prey,” said Matt Allen, senior director of food advisory at the National Science Foundation.
Allen also points out that plastic food packaging may contribute to microplastics entering the body. “Microplastics may also be present in ingredients used in food production and in food packaging, such as plastic wrappers or containers that can transfer microplastics into the food as they degrade or come into contact with food,” Allen said. However, according to Gavin, there’s a slight caveat to that concern: “Plastic is commonly used for packaging meat, fish, dairy and beverages, and there’s a potential for microplastics to be transferred to the food inside. However, the FDA states that there is insufficient evidence to confirm whether microplastics migrate from packaging into food and beverage.”
What are the possible health consequences of consuming microplastics?
When it comes to the question of whether microplastics can negatively affect our health after consumption, the simplest answer is that we just don’t know. “Consuming microplastics may cause health issues, although the full effects on humans are not completely understood. We still need more detailed studies and established safety guidelines to fully assess their impact,” Gavin told us.
From La Puma’s perspective, the possible consequences involve the fact that microplastics are “active disruptors of our endocrine system, silent inflammation triggers, and potential long-term organ destroyers. They act as Trojan horses, carrying toxins and pathogens into our system.”
The risks of microplastics may not be fully understood or documented, but Allen suspects that nanoplastics (the even smaller pieces of plastic) could be more harmful.
Allen explained that even though your body can’t absorb the larger microplastic particles, they may carry chemicals that can be harmful to be exposed to. Worse yet, particles in the nano-size range can be absorbed by the body.
“Current evidence suggests that these particles may be distributed throughout the body and have been found in the brain, placenta, veins and arteries and other organs,” Allen said. “The presence of these particles may cause inflammation and stress to the body leading to effects on the gut, immune system, nervous system, reproduction and cardiovascular system. Overall, the health effects associated with exposure to nano-sized plastic particles are not currently clear, but current evidence suggests significant concern.”
How can we reduce the amount of microplastics that we ingest?
While avoiding microplastics altogether may not be a realistic goal in this day and age, our experts insist that certain steps can be taken to limit the amount that you consume and to cut back on microplastics’ negative impact on the environment. “Embrace whole, unprocessed foods with a passion. Ultraprocessed, packaged items are not just nutritionally inferior; they’re potential microplastic delivery systems,” La Puma said.
If you need to get fruits and vegetables at the grocery store and can’t swing by a CSA or farmers market, “beware of plastic-wrapped produce: plastic packaging often contains harmful chemicals. Bring cloth or mesh reusable produce bags to the store to avoid unnecessary plastic contamination,” recommended Dr. Amy Myers, a functional medicine physician, author and podcast host.
Getting rid of plastic storage containers and kitchen tools can also help reduce the presence of microplastics in your body. “Switch to reusable bags, bottles, and containers instead of plastic ones. Use wood or silicone cutting boards to prevent microplastics from releasing while chopping. Store food in glass or steel containers to avoid chemical leaching from plastics, especially when dealing with hot foods. For drinking, choose glass or steel bottles over plastic,” Gavin said.
Allen said that the growing awareness of microplastics could lead to legislation and regulations that make these tiny problematic specks less of a concern in the future: “In the coming years, new standards and government regulations related to microplastics will likely be developed and introduced that will force manufacturers, packagers and supply chains to consider the fate and risk of such contaminants from the factory to the dump.”
In the meantime, follow Allen’s advice and “[abide] by the manufacturer’s directions when using plastic food equipment such as cutting boards, utensils and nonstick pans. Check the product label for specific end uses, temperature or food restrictions, and whether it has been reviewed and/or tested by an independent third party.” Allen advised not using items like takeout containers or plastic utensils with very hot foods or in a microwave or dishwasher since “the plastic may break down and migrate into food.”
