Landmark probe into microplastics found in food and drink to be funded by watchdogs after Mail campaign on microbeads

•  Bacteria and toxins trapped in plastic particles could pose health risk if eaten
•  Food Standards Agency (FSA) will see if they contain 'superbug food poisoning'
• 83 per cent of Norway scampi caught off the UK coast contained microplastics
• University of Newcastle say about 2,000 pieces of plastic are eaten each week 
• The Mail’s Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign calls to stop the surge of waste poisoning our oceans

A landmark study into whether microplastics found in food and drink carry bacteria that threaten human health is to be funded by watchdogs.

Research by universities and the Daily Mail has revealed how bottled water, tap water, beer, sea salt, fish, shellfish, chicken and many other foods are contaminated with tiny pieces of plastic picked up from the environment.

It is believed that harmful bacteria and toxins can be trapped by these plastic particles and could pose a health risk if they are eaten.

But scientists do not yet understand whether this is happening and if it is a risk to human health.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has now launched a scientific study to investigate these issues.

It vindicates the concerns raised by the Daily Mail’s Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign, which has included leading a successful drive to ban microbeads in cosmetics.

One aspect of the research will be to discover whether these microplastics carry superbug versions of food poisoning bacteria that are difficult to treat if people fall ill.

Rick Mumford, director of science at the FSA, said: ‘Microplastics are a global concern and are persistent contaminants both on land and in our seas. The majority of existing research has focused on their occurrence in the environment and in animals.

‘We want to find out more about the impact of this contamination on the food chain and how it ends up there, for example, whether microbiological contaminated microplastics in the ocean are eaten by fish and eventually by people.

‘That’s why we’re commissioning a review to look at existing scientific evidence on the types of micro-organisms that could potentially colonise microplastics in the environment, how they might contaminate our food and the potential risk to human health.’

Research for the Daily Mail, published in March last year, found that cod and salmon sold by eight major supermarkets was contaminated by airborne microplastics.

Previous research from the University of Plymouth found that more than one in three fish caught by trawlers in the English Channel, including cod, haddock and mackerel, contained plastic particles.

And some 83 per cent of Norway lobsters – better known as scampi – caught off the UK coast contained microplastics.

In June, a University of Newcastle study estimated that people are consuming about 2,000 tiny pieces of plastic every week, which equates to the weight of a credit card.

An FSA tender document inviting applications from scientists to carry out the research highlights existing evidence of mass plastic pollution of the environment and food.

It states: ‘Plastic production will continue to increase over the next ten or 15 years. We are already unable to cope with the amount of plastic waste that is generated. Most is single-use [and] non-biodegradable.

‘It is estimated that only 9 per cent of the 9billion tons of plastic the world has ever produced has been recycled [and] that around 13million tons leak into our oceans each year.’

It says microplastics and even smaller particles known as nanoplastics originate from items including beauty scrubs, polyester clothing, food packaging, plastic bottles and bags that break down over time.

The FSA says: ‘Given their small size, they can be easily spread by water, soil and air and can be ingested by a wide range of organisms and in the case of nanoplastics can cross some biological barriers.’

It says research shows that microplastics have been found in human faeces, suggesting they can contaminate the food chain. Studies also indicate that microplastics can help the spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria, or superbugs. 

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