New research shows that grocery store-bought meat or packaged fruits and vegetables can be contaminated with microscopic and nanoplastics.
Plastic contamination can occur when you untie the meat and cheese from the deli, soak the tea bag in hot water, or open a carton of milk or orange juice. Glass bottles and jars with plastic metal closures can flush microscopic plastic, research found.
In fact, wear from repeatedly opening and closing glass and plastic bottle caps could release huge amounts of microplastics and nanoplastics into the drink, according to Lisa Zimmermann, the lead author of a study published Tuesday at NPJ Science of Food.
“The study shows that the number of microplastics increases with each bottle opening, so Zimmermann, Scientific Communications Officer, a nonprofit based in Zurich, Switzerland, said:
Researchers have measured microplasia and nanoplastics in food and drink products, including beer, canned fish, rice, mineral water, tea bags, table salt, take-out foods, and soft drinks.
“This is the first systematic evidence of how the use of plastic-packaged foods is common and intended, how microforming and nanoplastyping is contaminated,” says Zimmermann. “We found that food packaging is actually a direct source of microplasty, measured in food.”
Another survey by the Food Packaging Forum issued in September 2024 found that over 3,600 chemicals leached into consumer products and penetrated the human body during food manufacturing, processing, packaging and storage.
A September 2024 survey found that 79 of these food processing chemicals are known to raise cancer, genetic mutations, endocrine and reproductive issues, and other health concerns.
And while scientists have long known about the potentially toxic chemicals of plastics that leach into food, “What’s less clear and deeply concerned about is that it’s the source of food packaging as a source of exposure to plastic particles, what does that mean for our health.
“This new study highlights food and processing equipment as a potentially important source of microplastic contamination in the food we eat and ultimately our bodies,” said Andrews, who was not involved in the study. “This research should raise the alarm bell.”
CNN reached out to the Plastics Industry Association for comment but did not respond prior to publication.
What are microplastics and nanoplastics?
Microplastics are polymer fragments ranging from less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) to 1/25,000 (1 micrometer). The small ones are nanoforming that need to be measured at a billionth of a meter.
With the average width of 1,000th human hair, experts say that nanoplasty is a very small thing and can be moved into the bloodstream through the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract or lungs. As blood circulates, plastics can distribute potentially harmful synthetic chemicals throughout the body and across the cells.
Recent research gusts have discovered microplastics and nanoplasty of human brain tissue, testes and penis, human blood, lung and liver tissue, urine and feces, breast milk and placenta.
In the first analysis of harm to human health, a study from March 2024 found that people in the microplastic or nanoplasia department of carotid tissue could die twice as many causes as those who have a heart attack or stroke or have nothing in the next three years.
The latest research has searched thousands of studies and found a study that did the best job of identifying and measuring plastics in tested foods before narrowing down the list to 103 for reviews.
Microplastics research is very new and so far, research has often used a variety of methods of identifying and measuring microplastics. Jane Mankke, managing director and chief science officer of the Food Packaging Forum, said the lack of standard protocols could make it difficult to properly compare findings.
“A new aspect of the analysis is not only collecting all the research, but also examining the scientific reliability of those methods. We included an important evaluation step,” Muncke says. “That left us with seven very reliable studies. We definitely need a higher quality study.”
The research shows that ultra-highly processed foods contain far more microplastics than minimally processed foods.
“The manufacturing steps with ultra-highly processed foods can increase contact time with plastic food processing equipment,” Muncke said.
Reviews show that, as plastic packaging was heated, washed for reuse, exposed to sunlight and mechanical stress, the movement to food increased as mechanical stress was applied. This type of repetitive stress can be more abrasion resistant than opening a plastic container, so future research should consider how to use plastic as well as plastic types, Muncke said.
“We are a resident of the London School of Health,” said Megan Deaney, a researcher and doctoral student at the University of London.
“What is particularly important is that the authors take time to extract and evaluate evidence of whether the presence of microplastics has changed over time in these studies. This helps identify the food contact material itself as a direct source of food contamination by microplastics.”
One study included in the new review was that one liter of water (equivalent to two standard-sized bottled water purchased at the store) contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven different types of plastic, of which 90% were identified as nanoplastics, with the rest being microplastics.
Another example included melamine, which is used to make bowls, plates, cups and other plastic dishes.
“In one study, researchers washed melamine bowls 10, 20, 50 and 100 times and measured the amount of microplastic released each time,” Zimmermann said. “Then they put something in the bowl to test it and found more microplastic releases after the washing increased.”
It is still impossible to clean microplastics from food supplies, but there are steps available to reduce exposure to plastics and the chemicals they secrete.
In a previous interview with CNN, Dr. Leonardo Trasande, director of environmental pediatrics at Nyu Langone Health, said:
“Avoid food and drinks made from plastics containing infant powder or pumped heifers, and do not put plastic in the dishwasher. Do not put plastic in the dishwasher, as heat can cause chemicals to leach,” says Trasande.
He also added that he checks the recycle code at the bottom of the packaging to find the plastic type, avoiding the plastic with Recycle Code 3, which usually contains phthalate.
Bringing reusable bags to the grocery store proposes the Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York-based environmental advocacy group. Invest in a zippered fabric bag and have the dry cleaner return the clothes in place of those thin plastic sheets. Take your travel mug to your local coffee store, take your takeaway and silverware to your office, and cut down on plastic cups and cooking utensils.
However, with the spread of microplastics in the environment, “this is not something that an individual can solve on their own,” Deeney said.
“We need systematic action to reduce plastic production and pollution,” she said in an email.
“There is an important opportunity for individuals to work with the government to call for strong and ambitious action on plastics in the upcoming final round of the Global Plastics Convention in Geneva. This August, more than 175 countries will be convened to determine legally binding measures to end plastic pollution.”
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