Plastic and our food supply’s safety and security
Micro and nanoplastics are being found in a range of foods, highlighting the need to better understand the impacts on food safety and security.
More research is needed to better understand any health effects of plastics in our food. Credit Anna Shvest
Key points
- Plastic waste has become a major contaminant as every Australian discards an average of 100 kg of plastic waste per year.
- Micro and nanoplastics are impacting agricultural systems and the environment, highlighting the need for further research.
- Learn some of the simple measures you can take to limit our exposure to these particles.
Plastic is a fantastic invention that helps make our modern living possible.
Unfortunately, plastic waste has become one of earth’s major contaminants. Every Australian discards an average of 100 kg of plastic waste each year.
We led a study which found agricultural systems and our food supply are increasingly impacted by micro and nanoplastic pollution. The study is one of the first to analyse the academic literature on microplastics from a food safety and food security risk viewpoint. It’s clear more research needs to be done.