Analysis Estimates 1,000 Tonnes of Microplastics Migrate From Food Packaging Each Year

Nearly 1,000 tonnes of microplastics move from packaging into food and drinks every year, according to an analysis by Earth Action in collaboration with rePurpose Global. The average individual intake of microplastics from packaging is estimated at around 130 milligrams per year.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles account for roughly one-third of total packaging-related microplastic exposure.

All packaging types examined were prone to leak plastic particles. Microplastic leakage occurs through mechanical stress such as opening, closing or squeezing plastic packaging. Plastic compounds react with physical conditions like ultra-violet light or sunshine to release microplastics into food or water, and sunlight and UV exposure can increase microplastic particle release into food or drink by up to two orders of magnitude.

“If you look at the food supply nowadays, we can pretty much say all the food we are ingesting has been in contact with plastic at some point, or another,” Boucher stated. He added there needs to be more research on how much plastic contamination is coming from further up the value chain, including through food and agricultural processing, as opposed to the packaging itself.

There are more than 16,000 different chemicals used in the production of plastics. Over 4,000 chemicals used in plastics are known to have hazardous properties. Fatty and acidic food combined with high temperature can increase the migration of plastic chemicals from packaging into food.

Winnie Courtene-Jones, a lecturer at Bangor University, said people should be cautious. “People should be cautious and take a pragmatic approach, aiming to limit our exposures where possible,” Courtene-Jones stated. ” Svanika Balasubramanian, chief circularity officer and founder of rePurpose Global, said the data in the report highlights how better choices upstream can prevent billions of particles reaching food before it ever gets to consumers.