Nestl\u00e9 and Danone are not alone in seeing this contamination in their products. Microplastics are a problem across the food industry<\/a>. <\/p>\n It is important that food companies are aware of this issue. Consumption of microplastics has been linked to negative health impacts including abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. <\/p>\n How can manufacturers keep them out of food? There are a range of approaches, both in removing microplastics from food and drink, and preventing contamination in the first place. <\/p>\n 1. Replace synthetic coatings <\/p>\n In order to avoid microplastic contamination, manufacturers should replace synthetic coatings with alternatives, says Claire Sand, owner of the company Packaging Technology and Research. <\/p>\n While PE or PET laminations on paperboard are often the source of microplastic contamination, alternatives like aqueous polymer dispersion coatings can provide the same moisture, grease and liquid resistance without such a high risk. <\/p>\n Biodegradable and bio-based polymers have been explored as alternative materials due to their lower propensity to generate microplastics<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. Sourcing ingredients with lower microplastic contamination <\/p>\n Microplastics often enter a product through the ingredients used to create it, far before the finished product has come into existence. Such sources include water, seafood and agricultural products exposed to contaminated soils or irrigation water. <\/p>\n To avoid this, says Packaging Technology and Research\u2019s Sand, manufacturers should work hard to source ingredients that are not contaminated with microplastics. <\/p>\n Also read \u2192 Nestl\u00e9 and Danone: Baby food pouches under fire as microplastics found<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAuditing and selecting ingredient sources with lower environmental microplastic burdens reduces the load that enters production before packaging or processing even begins.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Avoid plastic contact during high-risk processing conditions <\/p>\n The fragmentation and migration of plastic particles can increase with acidity, high temperatures and fat contact. Contact points in the production process that pose a particular risk, such as heat processing and contact with acidic foods and high-fat products, should therefore be reduced. <\/p>\n Once such high-risk contact points of production have been identified, explains Sand, manufacturers can substitute non-polymer alternatives for these points. <\/p>\n By doing this, \u201ccompanies can reduce microplastic generation even if some plastic packaging is retained elsewhere in the system\u201d.<\/p>\n Water filtration during production can stop microplastics from entering a food product.<\/p>\n \u201cInstalling filtration systems \u2013 such as ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis \u2013 at points where water contacts food during production captures microplastic particles before they reach the product,” says Sand.<\/p>\n For liquid products such as oils, beverages and dairy, inline filtration systems can also physically capture microplastics from the product. <\/p>\n Membrane filtration, depth filtration and centrifugal separation can all be applied at different stages in the production process to remove microplastics from these products. <\/p>\n 5. Advanced monitoring <\/p>\n Monitoring<\/a> for the presence of microplastics in packaging can help prevent contamination.<\/p>\n Advances in spectroscopic and thermal analysis methods have enhanced the accuracy of microplastic detection, helping manufacturers to find microplastics in packaging. Spectroscopy<\/a> is the use of the interaction between light and matter as an analytical tool by measuring the emission, absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation.<\/p>\n![\"Hand](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UNGBRBQZBVGRTGQVAHGJEJYISE.jpg\")
It is important for food companies to avoid the presence of microplastics in food as much as possible (Image: Getty\/Alistair Berg.)4. Filtration <\/p>\n