Need to Know

• Plastic pollution can move throughout agrifood systems, creating interconnected food safety risks. Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) and plastic-associated chemicals can contaminate soils, crops, animals, and foods, while plastic particles can facilitate microbial colonization, biofilm formation, and the spread of pathogens and AMR genes.
• Human exposure can occur through food and food-contact materials, but important uncertainties remain. More than 16,000 chemicals have been found in plastics, one-quarter are considered hazardous, and 66 percent lack official hazard classifications; meanwhile, the health implications of current dietary MNP exposure remain unclear.
• FAO called for a One Health approach that addresses plastics across their full life cycle. Experts emphasized stronger cross-sector monitoring and coordination, prevention and reduction of plastic pollution, and careful safety assessment of alternatives, including bio-based and biodegradable plastics.

Millions of Tons of Plastics Used Throughout Agrifood System

FAO noted that plastics are used throughout agrifood value chains, including in agricultural films, mulches, greenhouse covers, coated fertilizers, silage wraps, storage containers, processing equipment, and food packaging. An estimated 13.4 million tons of agricultural plastics are used annually, alongside 37.3 million tons in food packaging. Agricultural plastic use is projected to reach 19 million tons by 2040, while packaging demand is projected to increase 38 percent over the same period.

At the same time, agrifood systems can be contaminated by plastic pollution originating outside the food system through wastewater, runoff, atmospheric deposition, contaminated irrigation water, and soil amendments.

Microplastics, Chemicals Present Food Safety Concerns: Biofilm Formation, AMR

The brief outlined four illustrative pathways through which plastic pollution can have cascading One Health effects:

1. Impacts through soils
2. Risks to animals across terrestrial and aquatic environments
3. Human exposure and system feedbacks
4. Pressures on climate and nature.

In agricultural soils, micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) can affect soil structure, microbiota, and nutrient and carbon cycling. The publication cited evidence showing that plants can take up MNPs and plastic-associated chemicals (e.g., per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS], bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, etc.) through their roots, including into edible tissues intended for human and animal consumption.

Additionally, microplastics have been detected in more than 1,300 animal species, and terrestrial animal products have been found to contain microplastics following livestock exposure. FAO said these pathways have potential implications for food chain contamination, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) spread.

Emerging evidence shows that plastic pollution can worsen microbiological food safety hazards. MNPs can provide surfaces for microbial colonization and biofilm formation, potentially facilitating horizontal gene transfer and the persistence and spread of pathogens and AMR genes.

Human Exposure to Thousands of Little-Understood Chemicals

Human exposure can occur through contaminated foods, migration from food-contact materials, inhalation, dermal contact, and occupational exposures. More than 16,000 chemicals have been found in plastics, with one-quarter considered hazardous because of their persistence, bioaccumulation, mobility, and/or toxicity. Of known chemicals, 66 percent lack official hazard classifications from regulatory agencies or industry.

The publication also noted that MNPs have been identified in several food groups and human tissues. Emerging evidence has suggested possible links to altered microbiomes, inflammatory and immune responses, tissue damage, and reproductive toxicity. However, FAO emphasized that uncertainties remain regarding the health and food safety implications of current dietary exposure levels, in part because experimental studies may not accurately reflect exposure to environmentally weathered MNPs.

FAO Calls for One Health Approach to Plastic Pollution

To translate the evidence into policy, the authors identified four areas for action:

1. Establishing a shared evidence base across sectors
2. Co-designing solutions with affected communities
3. Coordinating action across policies and international agreements
4. Continuously reviewing policies as scientific evidence evolves.

The brief specifically suggested that national One Health platforms could integrate environmental, food safety, veterinary, and public health monitoring. Such platforms could also strengthen standards related to microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals in food, while improving monitoring of plastic contamination in soils and water.

Bio-Based Alternatives Might Not Be Inherently Safer than Plastics

FAO also cautioned against assuming that bio-based or biodegradable plastics are inherently safer alternatives. Available evidence has not yet demonstrated that such materials are necessarily better environmentally in terms of toxicity and degradation, and alternative materials can contain hazardous chemicals. The authors called for robust toxicological and environmental assessments of replacement materials and said food safety safeguards should be incorporated into circular-economy approaches to prevent contaminants from being reintroduced into food-contact applications.

Overall, the authors concluded that downstream plastic waste management alone will not sufficiently address the problem. Instead, the publication called for prevention and reduction of plastic pollution across the full plastics life cycle, supported by stronger monitoring, cross-sector coordination, and assessment of alternatives to avoid shifting risks elsewhere in the food system.