Microplastics and Food Safety

Abstract

The widespread distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the environmentposes an evident threat to the well-being of aquatic and terrestrial organisms, many ofwhich are farmed or caught for human consumption. Under this context, MP ingestionseems inevitable. The nature of MPs and their interaction with external contaminants,including organic and inorganic chemicals and pathogens, could derive implicationsfor food security. The present chapter addresses the factors involved in MPs and foodsecurity by covering their interaction with chemical contaminants and pathogens, aswell as recent studies on the concentration of MPs in seafood and crops and theirrespective sources. Current studies are still limited primarily to seafood (mostly,fish and mollusks), while other important sources of food, such as vegetables, livestock, and poultry products remain poorly investigated. Furthermore, MP surveys infood products focus on the identification of suspected particles (confirming polymercomposition), while overlooking their association with other contaminants, includingthose that may leach out from food-contact plastic materials. The latter is of particular interest to food safety due to their toxicity. The current literature is still far frombeing sufficient to estimate realistic MP and MP-related contaminant consumptionin humans at a large scale and their potential chronic health effects.