Potential risks of food packaging plastic waste on human health and the environment

The main issues of plastic waste

Plastic is almost used in every single product found in human life. After its discovery in the 1950s, plastic has become one of the fundamental materials due to the plastic benefits, low price, lightweight, flexibility, and transparency. In 2017, plastics were produced globally, reaching about 9.2 billion metric tons, and almost all the amount of plastic has been thrown into the environment. The main problem is that plastic cannot be degraded naturally in the environment and those thrown plastics are accumulated in environments, especially in oceans. In 2010, 275 million metric tons of plastics were found in 192 coastal countries, and around 2-5% of the plastics entered the marine area. The projection by 2025, the accumulation of plastic in marine areas will continuously increase due to the increasing population, causing increasing plastic consumption.  

Effects of packaging plastic waste on the environment

Accumulation of plastics in the environment or the marine area causes the change of plastic structure to form fragments or filaments in micro-sized materials, called microplastics, with a size around 1-5 mm in diameter. Microplastic generated from plastic packaging materials found in the sea reached 68,500-275,000 tons in 2016, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The concentration of microplastics in the seawater reaches 0.018 items per m3. This concentration might increase if the plastics continuously accumulate in the sea. Almost 1.15-2.41 million tons of waste plastic from bags, bottles, food packaging, and containers are thrown into the ocean. This problem further triggers the dispersion of unfamiliar and hazardous substances, such as nano- and microplastics, culminating in pollution across the freshwater, air, and ecosystems. Plastic pollution also contributes to environmental emissions, notably greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), released during the food production process chain. 

Plastic polluted in the environment is degraded to microplastics due to loose structures, rough surfaces, mechanical forces, and other environmental conditions, such as photooxidation and high-temperature exposures. The degradation mechanism can be seen in Figure 1. 

Figure 1. Degradation mechanism of plastics to microplastics, potentially consumed by human food sources, and the contamination of microplastic by human ingestion (Siddiqui et al., 2023)

This plastic degradation forms plastic flakes or fragments. In general, the reduced size of microplastic improves the surface-to-volume ratio, leading to increasing reactivity. Besides, the ramification of plastic waste affects the animal food chain, polluting water and soil and disrupting ecosystems. The effects also continue to groundwater reservoirs, rendering them susceptible to toxic leaking.

Although plastic materials are produced by producers and consumers for food waste reduction plan, the consumers are required to recognize the risk of plastic to the environment. 

Effects of plastic packaging on human health

Significant concern arises from the consumption of food products contaminated by plastic throughout the food production chain. Decomposed plastic waste can break down into microplastics, posing a threat to natural resources such as fish in the ocean. The microplastics in the food chain will be consumed by humans, causing severe diseases such as cancer due to the microplastics. The release of microplastics from plastics to food products can be seen in Figure 1. It is reported that 2977 microplastics per person per year were consumed by humans, which is exposed 407 times or 12-203 microplastics per week to be ingested. This plastic degradation to microplastics or even nanoplastics can endanger organisms in marine environments and can even circulate to reach food products through the food chain. The process of marine organisms is ingested by human as follows. 

• Marine organisms, such as fish, zooplankton, etc., consume accumulated microplastics in the marine environment.
• Microparticles enter the body of the microorganisms through biomagnification and bioaccumulation, causing a potential negative effect on the organisms.
• Microparticles can be ingested and accumulated in the intestine of microorganisms. 

Other chemicals from microparticles, such as plasticizers, can accumulate in the marine environment, leading to cumulative effects on aquatic organisms (Sun et al., 2021). Consequently, the organisms consuming microplastics, like fish and shrimps, enter the human food chain. In other cases, the microplastics can be consumed by marine microorganisms and then further consumed by humans.

Their negative effects on the body may include the generation of oxidative stress by the production of reactive oxygen species during the inflammatory response, which may result in cytotoxic consequences. Consumption of microplastics can disrupt energy balance, metabolism, and the immune system. 

Potential migration of food packaging on food products

Food packaging must adhere to stringent safety regulations, as not all packaging materials are suitable for containing food products. 

Plastics: Plastics originally contain plastic components, for instance, consisting of polymers, plasticizers, flame retardants, fillers, antioxidants, lubricants, heat stabilizers, and color pigments that can be migrated into food products. This migration happens due to several factors, like exposure to high temperatures or heat and pressure. The exposure can cause a migration of plastic components from plastic to food products. There are concerns about the potential migration of food packaging to food products.

• Toxic compounds from plastics have the potential to migrate into food, particularly influenced by factors such as temperature and duration of contact.
• Contact time also plays a role in the amount of dissolved metal, reinforcing the importance of selecting suitable food and beverage types for packaging in cans or metal containers.
• The migration process of compounds from packaging to food can result in poisoning or the accumulation of toxic substances. 
• Plastic additives like plasticizers, dyes, retardants, antioxidants, and photo stabilizers, as well as adsorbed compounds, can enhance the ecological toxicity of interacting species. 

Strategies to minimize the effects at home and challenges

In order to preserve customers’ health, the nature of packaging should also be non-toxic to the body. Some suggestions to reduce your plastic footprint and thus limit the release of microplastics involve using glass or ceramic dishes to heat food in the microwave. 

• Don’t microwave food in plastic containers (except if the material is approved for microwave use) 
• Allow food to cool to room temperature before placing it in plastic storage containers. 
• Food and drinking water should be stored in glass or stainless/ceramic /wood/steel/earthenware containers. 
• Consume as many fresh meals as possible. 
• Reduce your intake of fast food and packaged or processed meals. 
• For shopping, use cotton or canvas bags. 
• Avoid placing plastic containers in the dishwasher since they leak toxins onto other dishes. 
• Plastic containers should be hand-washed. 
• Consider reusable containers.
• Correctly dispose of plastic recyclables.
• Verify the recycling regulations in your area.

Risk analysis and the consequent implementation of nutritional guidelines for high-risk foods with a higher microplastic content would be another useful tool for mitigating the possible detrimental effects of microplastics in food. To address the issue of microplastic contamination, new methods for their degradation in the environment are required. Enhancing public awareness about plastics and improving waste management is also critical. The introduction of regulations governing the use of main microplastics and their discharge into the environment would be a good first step toward reducing the microplastic load in the food chain and the ecosystem.

Further reading

Smart Packaging Functionality and Benefits

Smart Packaging Application in Bakery Products

How to Reduce Food Waste with Food Packaging?

References

Siddiqui, S. A., Bahmid, N. A., Salman, S. H. M., Nawaz, A., Walayat, N., Shekhawat, G. K., Gvozdenko, A. A., Blinov, A. V., & Nagdalian, A. A. (2023). Migration of microplastics from plastic packaging into foods and its potential threats on human health. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 103, 313–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/BS.AFNR.2022.07.002

Siddiqui, S. A., Singh, S., Bahmid, N. A., Shyu, D. J. H., Domínguez, R., Lorenzo, J. M., Pereira, J. A. M., & Câmara, J. S. (2023). Polystyrene microplastic particles in the food chain: Characteristics and toxicity – A review. Science of The Total Environment, 892, 164531. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2023.164531

Siddiqui, S. A., Sundarsingh, A., Bahmid, N. A., Nirmal, N., Denayer, J. F. M., & Karimi, K. (2023). A critical review on biodegradable food packaging for meat: Materials, sustainability, regulations, and perspectives in the EU. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13202