Nobody wants to munch on plastic for dinner, but the unappetizing truth is that many common foods contain microplastics — environmental pollutants comprised of very tiny particles of plastic that insidiously work their way up the food chain. Uh… can I get that with a side of ranch?
According to an Environmental Research study, 90% of animal and vegetable protein samples contained microplastics ranging in size from five millimeters down to one micrometer. This means that even vegetarians and those who steer clear of seafood are unknowingly consuming microplastics regularly.
CNN compiled the results of several studies to determine what foods and beverages contain the most microplastics. Some of the shocking findings may cause you to rethink what’s on the menu tonight. Although avoiding the consumption of microplastics altogether is next to impossible, we can reduce our intake by eating whole foods and avoiding processed foods wrapped in plastic or cooking food in our microwaves in plastic containers.
Himalayan Pink Salt
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Himalayan pink salt is primarily mined from the Punjab province in Pakistan, but is produced in other parts of the world as well. It costs more than table salt and is marketed as having unsubstantiated health benefits because of its unprocessed state, but looks can be deceiving.
According to a 2023 study, Himalayan pink salt contains significantly more microplastics than regular table salt and other sea salts. In fact, the study found that terrestrial salts such as Himalayan salt and black salt have more microplastics than ocean salts.
Rice
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Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population, especially those living in Asia and Africa. You may wonder how it’s possible that microplastics can infiltrate remote rice paddies, but that’s exactly what is happening.
According to a University of Queensland study, people swallow 3 to 4 milligrams of microplastics for every 100 grams (1/2 cup) of rice that they eat. Instant rice scores even worse, bumping up the number to 13 milligrams of microplastics per serving.
The good (slightly less alarming?) news is that you can reduce the amount of microplastics in rice by 40% just by rinsing it thoroughly before cooking.
Bottled Water
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If you suspect that water sold in plastic bottles has a better probability of containing microplastics than tap or filtered water from a fridge, you’re 100% correct. According to Mordor Intelligence, the bottled water industry is worth $274 billion in 2024 and continues to grow.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal found that two bottled waters contain an average of 240,000 plastic bits — some so small that they can’t even been seen under a microscope.
Suddenly that bottled mountain spring water from a remote island doesn’t seem so pristine, does it?
Breaded Shrimp
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When you think about which ocean animal would ingest the most microplastics and other pollutants, bottom-feeders such as shrimp make the top of the list.
According to the Environmental Research study, breaded shrimp averages about 300 pieces of microplastic per serving. However, this data doesn’t mean that seafood has significantly more microplastics than terrestrial proteins such as chicken, beef, and pork.
“This is a startling reminder of just how prolific plastic pollution has become – humans live on land and yet seafood samples are just as likely to be contaminated with plastics as are terrestrial derived proteins,” said Environmental Research study coauthor Dr. Britta Baechler, a marine biologist and associate director of Plastics Science at Ocean Conservancy.
Plant-Based Nuggets
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Although you are saving chicken lives by eating plant-based nuggets by companies such as Impossible and Morning Star, you’re still eating microplastics. What the cluck?
According to data published in the Environmental Research study, plant-based nuggets rank second on the list right behind breaded shrimp for the protein with the most microplastics. A serving of plant-based nuggets contains just under 100 pieces of microplastics.
Apples
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An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it won’t prevent microplastics from entering your body. According to a 2021 study, researchers found that plants absorb microplastics through their roots and then transfer them to their fruit, leaves, and stems.
The Environmental Research study found that apples are the most contaminated fruit with regard to microplastics. A single gram of apple contains over 100,000 pieces of microplastics.
Carrots
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If apples are the most microplastic-contaminated fruit, carrots are the most contaminated vegetable. This tracks since plants absorb microplastics through their roots, and a carrot is a big edible root. What’s up, doc?
According to the Environmental Research study, of all vegetables, carrots had the tiniest particles of microplastics, containing over 100,000 pieces per gram. By contrast, lettuce had the biggest particles of microplastics but were the least-contaminated vegetable studied.
Fish
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Although microplastic particles were found in all terrestrial and sea proteins across numerous studies, fish contain a higher concentration than any other seafood except for shrimp.
According to the Environmental Research study, fish sticks contain less than 100 pieces of microplastic per serving and rank just under chicken nuggets on the list of most-contaminated proteins. NutritionFacts.org reported findings that the flesh of fish such as grouper, scad, flathead, and barracuda contain hundreds of microplastic particles per 300-gram serving.
Tea
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Fancy a cup of tea? If you use a tea bag, you could be sipping a lot of plastic with your Tetley or Lipton tea.
According to a study by McGill University in Quebec, a single brewed tea bag releases 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles into your cup. If you add sugar to the mix, that number goes even higher. Speaking of which…
Sugar
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Those with a sweet tooth secretly hoping that microplastics wouldn’t end up in processed sugar should stop reading now.
For the rest of you, a comprehensive 2022 study about the amount of microplastics in sugar found the not-so-sweet news that sugar represents “an important route of human exposure to these micropollutants.” The researchers found microplastic particles in all five brands of tested commercial sugars and two unpacked, unbranded, and unlabeled sugars.
