When we tuck into our lunch or dinner are we getting something we didn't bargain for?
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A new CSIRO-led study is looking into the prevalence of plastics in our food supply, and the results are somewhat alarming.
The study found micro and nanoplastics are much more common in food and drink than we would like to think.
Researchers analysed academic literature on microplastics from a food safety and food security risk viewpoint.
Previous studies have primarily focused on fish, which often contain traces of plastics due to ingestion, but the new study broadened the net.
It found plastics can be found in many products including meat, chicken, rice, water, take-away food, drinks and even fresh produce.
CSIRO analytical chemist and lead author Jordi Nelis said plastics enter the human food chain through various pathways, including ingestion by the food source, 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," Dr Nelis said.
He said machinery, cutting boards and plastic wrapping could all deposit plastic into food.
Plastics can also enter the agricultural system through biosolids - a rich fertiliser. Biosolids sourced from waste water can contain plastic from sources such as washing of synthetic clothes.
The study also discussed how additives in plastics can find their way into our environment, potentially contaminating food supply. Additives that make plastic flexible or resistant to UV radiation can include flame retardants, heavy metals, phthalates, hardeners and chemical compounds.
There are currently no definitive studies proving micro and nanoplastics in the environment cause harm to humans, but researchers say more work needs to be done to understand health effects. They also want to see better analytical techniques developed to monitor, assess and establish safe levels of plastics in food, drinking water and agricultural environments.
Dr Nelis said there are things consumers can do to help reduce the risk of micro and nanoplastics entering the environment.
"On average Australians discard 100kg of plastic waste each year, so use fewer plastics especially in the kitchen and wash your clothes a little less often, on shorter cycles," Dr Nelis said.
CSIRO is on a mission to end plastic waste and has set a goal of an 80 per cent reduction in waste entering the environment by 2030.
To read the study click here.
