Nearly 1,000 tonnes of microplastics are moving from packaging into the food and drinks they contain every year, according to a new analysis.
The report published by Earth Action in collaboration with rePurpose Global, estimates the average individual intake is estimated at around 130 milligrams of microplastics per year.
It claims microplastic exposure from food and drink packaging more concentrated and more preventable than previously understood.
The study argues a small number of packaging formats and stress conditions account for a disproportionate share of emissions, pointing to clear opportunities to address the issue.
For example, it claims polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles account for roughly one-third of total packaging-related exposure.
The research adds sunlight and UV exposure can increase particle release into food or drink by up to two orders of magnitude.
And it says thermal stress from hot filling or microwaving can also weakening the material and significantly increasing particle detachment.
The researchers also highlight a critical gap in food safety regulation, as current rules largely account for neither particle release nor a combined exposure profile,
The report recommends limiting UV exposure during transport and retail display for plastic food packaging items and redesigning high-stress components such as caps and closures.
The co-CEO and head of research at Earth Action, Dr. Julien Boucher said all the packaging types examined, as part of the report, were prone to leak plastic particles, in an interview.
Dr. Boucher said the leakage can come through mechanical stress, such as opening, closing or squeezing plastic packaging.
The other main route is when the plastic compounds react with physical conditions, like being exposed to ultra-violet light or sunshine, which can release microplastics into the food or water it contains.
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.
“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,” Dr. Boucher told me.
Dr. Winnie Courtene-Jones, a lecturer at Bangor University, said there are more than 16,000 different chemicals used in the production of plastics, including over 4,000 which are known to have hazardous properties.
Dr. Courtene-Jones research suggests that fatty and acidic food, combined with high temperature, can increase the migration of plastic chemicals from the packaging into the food, in an interview.
She said it was also important the plastics industry to avoid using hazardous chemicals and develop safer and more sustainable products.
“People should be cautious and take a pragmatic approach, aiming to limit our exposures where possible” the scientist told me.
“We do not know the effect of some of these chemicals, and yet they are being used in food packaging, and a range of plastic products that we are regularly exposed to.”
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.
Balasubramanian added a relatively small number of packaging formats and supply-chain conditions drive most exposure, which means the packaging industry has a real opportunity and responsibility to redesign packaging systems to reduce these emissions.
And Albert Douer, CEO of UBQ Materials said one of the most effective ways to prevent microplastic exposure is by addressing its root cause, namely plastic waste, in an email.
Douer added the world produces more than 450 million tons of plastic every year, yet only 9% is recycled.
“That is not a sustainable strategy for the environment or for human health,” she said.
