Microplastics: They are also in Our Food

Translated by Benedetta Morandini

In the latest years, we frequently hear about microplastics, particularly how they infiltrate the entire food chain and, consequently, our bodies. While this raises concerns about the potential negative effects on our health, there is still limited reflection on their environmental dangers. Microplastics cause significant pollution, but we may not yet fully grasp the real impact they have on plants and animals.

According to a widely accepted definition among experts, microplastics are categorized into primary and secondary types, each with a specific role:

1. "Primary microplastics are intentionally produced in small sizes, to be used in products such as cosmetics (makeup, cleansers, toothpaste), paints, abrasive pastes, and fertilizers for their abrasive, exfoliating, and smoothing properties, or to maintain the thickness, appearance, and stability of the product."

2. "Secondary microplastics are formed from the wear, deterioration, and fragmentation of larger plastic materials, including synthetic fabrics and tire rubber. Plastic present in the environment, often due to improper disposal of consumer products, undergoes very slow degradation processes from light, thermo-oxidative, or biodegradation processes, which weaken the integrity of the original material, leading to fragmentation into pieces smaller than 5mm. Secondary microplastics make up the majority of microplastics dispersed in the environment."

Moreover, microplastics also end up in our food, whether we eat at home or in restaurants. Plastic fragments are now part of our diet. Even those living outside cities with a small plot of land for gardening aren’t spared, as plastic has become too widespread in our ecosystems to not contaminate what we grow ourselves. "Fresh food, for example, may be plastic-free when harvested or caught, but it can contain plastics by the time it’s handled, packaged, and reaches us. Machinery, cutting boards, and plastic packaging can all deposit micro- and nano-plastics onto the food we consume. This study highlights the need to understand which plastics can end up in food to manage food safety," explains Joost Nelis, a researcher at CSIRO.

To better grasp the presence of plastic in the food we consume, a significant 2018 study found that “with each meal, we involuntarily ingest about 114 particles of plastic after consuming a plate of food. These particles come from the environment where we live and eat, even in home settings.”

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world is "drowning in plastic pollution, with over 430 million tons of plastic produced annually, and microplastics are found in oceans, food, and drinking water, some of which come from clothing and cigarette filters."

Awareness of our planet's fragility and the irreparable damage microplastics are causing compels us to act now if we want to avoid reaching the point of no return. Considering that most packaging is plastic, that plastic waste is the most prevalent and polluting, that the world is full of scattered plastics, and that illegal and hazardous landfills are forming in poorer countries, it is clear how essential it is to limit our waste as much as possible. This is crucial for creating a healthier environment for us and future generations.

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