A study led by CSIRO has found plastics and their additives are present at a range of concentrations in many foods including meat, chicken, rice, water, take-away food and drink, and fresh produce.
After analysing academic literature on microplastics from a food safety and food security risk viewpoint, building on past studies which primarily tracked plastics in fish, the study showed that plastics and their additives are present in many products.
CSIRO analytical chemist, food safety specialist and lead author of the paper, Dr Jordi Nelis, says one of the main ways is through food processing and packaging.
“Fresh food for example can be plastic free when it’s picked or caught but contain plastics by the time it’s been handled, packaged and makes its way to us.
“Machinery, cutting boards, plastic wrapping can all deposit micro and nanoplastics onto our food that we then consume. This study highlights the need to understand what plastic could end up in food to manage food safety and security,” Nelis said.
Packaging wise, alternative solutions in the food industry are forming. Planet Protector Packaging’s Woolpack, for example, offers a sustainable alternative to polystyrene (EPS) for use in supply chains for the transportation of temperature-controlled food, seafood and pharmaceuticals.
Woolpack solutions have been tested and proven to outperform both EPS and alternative packaging. The recyclable or compostable liner, which encloses the wool is micro-perforated to allow the wool fibres to breathe and create the national cooling system.
Another pathway for the contaminants to enter the agriculture system is through biosolids sourced from wastewater treatment.
Biosolids are a rich fertiliser for agricultural land, but they can contain plastic particles from many sources, such as from the washing of synthetic clothing.
Biosolid particles could build up in the soil and change the soil structure over time, which can affect crop production, food security and ecosystem resilience. For example, plastic materials can ‘trick’ the good bacteria in the soil into thinking they are the roots of plants, meaning the plants end up with less of the nutrients they need.
The CSIRO study also discussed how additives in plastics that help make plastic work in the modern world can leach into our environment, potentially contaminating food supplies.
Additives that make plastic flexible or resistant to UV radiation, for example, can include flame retardants, heavy metals, phthalates, hardeners or other chemical compounds.
There are currently no definitive studies that demonstrate micro and nanoplastics in the environment cause harm to humans, however more research is needed to fully understand health effects.
Nelis says more research is also needed to better understand the effects of plastics and their additives on food safety and security as well as to develop better analytical techniques to monitor, assess and establish safe levels in food, drinking water and agroecosystems.
“The key missing information is determining safe levels of microplastics. We currently don’t know exactly what the microplastic flux through the food system is or which levels can be considered safe,” Nelis said.
