With microplastic pollution becoming a significant concern in food, the country’s top food regulator has initiated a groundbreaking project  aiming to develop and validate methods for detecting micro and nano-plastics in food products and to evaluate their prevalence and exposure levels across the country.

Launched in March, the primary objective of the project “Micro-and Nano-Plastics as Emerging Food Contaminants: Establishing Validated Methodologies and Understanding the Prevalence in Different Food Matrices,” include developing standard protocols for micro/nano-plastic analysis, conducting intra- and inter-laboratory comparisons, and generating critical data on microplastic exposure levels among consumers.   Anything smaller than 1 micrometer is a nanoplastic that must be measured in billionths of a meter.

An official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that the study is being implemented in collaboration with leading research institutions across the country, including the CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow), ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi), and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani).

In a recent report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlighted the presence of microplastics in common food items such as sugar and salt.

While the report underscores the global prevalence of microplastics, it also emphasises the need for more robust data to fully understand the implications for human health and safety, particularly in the Indian context.

Yet another recent study conducted by Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation, claims to have found that all Indian salt and sugar brands contain microplastics.

The highest concentration of microplastics was found in a branded iodised packaged salt sample. The study report “Microplastics in Salt and Sugar” was released recently.

Similarly, according to a study published in the Environmental Pollution journal, microplastics particles which have been found in almost all the body parts of humans have now reached the fats and lungs of two-thirds of marine mammals.

Similarly, a February 2024 study has revealed that ninety percent of animal and vegetable protein samples tested positive for microplastics, teeny polymer fragments that can range from less than 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) down to 1/25,000th of an inch (1 micrometer).

An official from the FSSAI said that while global studies have highlighted the presence of microplastics in various foods, it is imperative to generate reliable data specific to India. This project will help understand the extent of microplastic contamination in Indian food and guide the formulation of effective regulations and safety standards to protect public health.

The findings from this project will not only inform regulatory actions but also contribute to the global understanding of microplastic contamination, making Indian research an integral part of the global effort to combat this environmental challenge.