Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that are entering the food chain. These have been found in seafood, salt, sugar, honey, and even drinking water; these plastics come from pollution and heavy plastic use in food packaging and processing.
Scientists are using advanced tools to identify and study these microplastics in our food. They analyze their size, shape, and type of plastic to understand their impact.
While it’s clear that consuming these particles might be risky—causing physical harm or bringing toxic chemicals into our bodies—researchers admit we still don’t know enough about their exact effects on our health.
The paper demands the development of better detection methodologies of these plastics, further research on how they actually affect us, and wiser ways of keeping our food clean. It is a call to wake up and fight a hidden, growing problem in the food we eat daily.
Full text: Suman Giri, Gopal Lamichhane, Dipendra Khadka, Hari Prasad Devkota, Microplastics contamination in food products: Occurrence, analytical techniques and potential impacts on human health, Current Research in Biotechnology, Volume 7, 2024, 100190, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100190