Not only plastic containers are available, experts reveal that 10 common foods at home may also contain plastic particles

 8:35am, 23 September 2025

The food I eat every day is almost wrapped in plastic and stored or shipped. Many people have used plastic containers to heat the remaining food in microwave ovens; but you may not realize that the food I eat actually contains plastic particles. According to Delish, a professor of nutrition science at Rutgers University in New Zealand, Stephani Johnson, said that research on the effects of eating plastic particles has been underway for decades; however, there is still much to be studied about the average level of plastic particles in humans, the time of plastic particles staying in humans, and the health issues related to it. It is known that plastic particles are always absent in the environment, so it is almost impossible to completely avoid them.

Research has found that plastic particles exist in the brain, heart, cervical, fetal plate and other places of the human body. Nicholas, Vice President of the Ocean Conservancy (Ocean Conservancy) Mallos) notes that while more research is needed to understand what extent plastic particles can cause health problems, people should pay attention to it now.

The impact of eating plastic particles on health

New evidence shows that potential damage depends on several factors, including the amount of intake and the type, size and shape of plastic particles. According to the study, for cells, plastic particles can cause oxidative pressure, DNA damage, organ dysfunction, reproductive and immune functions, and neurotoxicity.

Unfortunately, there are still many things to be solved about plastic particles in food. Maros said further research is necessary to better understand the plastic particles in the most commonly consumed foods, including the exact source and potential risks to human health.

The following are 10 types of foods that can be measured in quantity:

1. Tea Leaf

Many tea bags are made of polypropylene, which is used to seal the tea bags and maintain their shape. When soaked in hot water, these bags will place plastic particles into the tea. To avoid incorporating plastic particles, using bulk tea leaves and stainless steel or other non-plastic tea sets is a safer and more environmentally friendly option.

2. White rice

Research shows that white rice contains relatively high plastic particles. Huang Sen pointed out that this may be caused by soil and irrigation water pollution; the study found that washing rice particles thoroughly before cooking can reduce the plastic particles content by about 20-40%.

3. Super processed food

certificates show that food processing is likely to be a source of plastic particulate contamination. Maros said that research has found that highly processed protein products, such as chicken, tofu and plant carnivore, contain far higher amounts of plastic particles per gram than microprocessed products, such as wild Alaska squid and raw chicken brisket.

4. Bottle of water

When the plastic bottle is exposed to high temperatures (such as in a car), or is subjected to pressure, plastic particles will be placed into the water. Lu Sen said that disposable plastic bottles contain the highest number of plastic particles, followed by reusable plastic bottles; stainless steel and glass bottles will not degrade or produce plastic particles, making them safer and more environmentally friendly drinking water options.

5.Salt

You may not believe that even natural minerals such as salt cannot be avoided from being affected by plastic particles. Research has found that salts may contain a large number of plastic particles, which reflects a wide range of environmental pollution problems. According to Yosen, the Himalayas pink salt has the highest content of plastic particles, followed by black salt and sea salt.

6. Fruits and Vegetables

Due to the universality of environmental dyeing, fruits and vegetables also contain measured plastic particles. Some types of fruits and vegetables are more susceptible to other types, such as root-locked vegetables (such as sausage, potatoes, beets), because they absorb plastic particles from contaminated soil and rainwater through their roots, but all plants can absorb plastic particles through their roots.

7. Honey

Honey said that even honey may be contaminated by plastic particles, which is also caused by widespread environmental pollution.

8. Plant-based food

Maros said that plastic particles were found in tofu, vegetarian chicken pieces, vegetarian fish strips and vegetarian beef meat.

9. The plastic particles in the fresh seafood

oceans gather in fish and beans, ultimately affecting the people who eat these seafood. Compared with other marine organisms, bottom species such as clams, pineapples, pineapples, pineapples, pineapples and pineapples often contain higher concentrations of plastic particles.

10. Processing seafood

The situation of processing seafood is not much better. Maros said that research shows that fried shrimp and squids wrapped in bread powder also contain plastic particles.