[Source: Agnesia, P., et al. (2025). “Assessing toxicological risk of nanoplastics contaminants in food and feed from ingestion pathway to human diseases.” F1000Research, 14:284.]
When we think of plastic pollution, we often picture discarded bottles washing up on beaches or turtles entangled in six-pack rings. However, a far more insidious and invisible threat has entered our food supply, one that is small enough to cross biological barriers and enter our cells: nanoplastics (NPs). While microplastics (MPs) have dominated the headlines, NPs (particles measuring less than 0.1 $\mu$m) pose a latent and potentially greater danger to the human food chain.
From Ocean to Plate: The Stealth Contaminant
We are living in an era where plastic usage continues to rise annually, with global production expected to reach hundreds of millions of tons by 2025. This waste does not simply disappear; it fragments. Through exposure to UV light and physical degradation, plastic breaks down into microplastics and eventually into nanoplastics,. Because of their colloidal nature and high surface-to-volume ratio, these particles are highly mobile, infiltrating food webs from the bottom up.
For the average consumer, the sources of exposure are alarmingly mundane. Research indicates that NPs are leaching from everyday plastic packaging directly into our food and drinks. A study on tea bags revealed that a single plastic tea bag can release billions of particles into a cup of tea. Similarly, opening a plastic bottle cap or pouring hot water into a plastic cup can release millions of NPs into the beverage. Even “eco-friendly” disposable paper cups often contain plastic linings that degrade into these invisible particles.
Why Size Matters: The Health Risks
The primary concern with NPs distinguishes them from their larger microplastic cousins: their ability to traverse biological membranes. While microplastics might pass through the digestive tract, nanoplastics are small enough to be endocytosed (absorbed by cells) in the human digestive tract. Once ingested, these particles can translocate to the lymphatic and circulatory systems, potentially distributing throughout the body.
The health implications are currently under intense scientific scrutiny. Studies suggest that NP exposure can lead to cytotoxicity (cell toxicity), inflammation, and oxidative stress. In animal models, exposure to polystyrene NPs has been linked to intestinal inflammation, damage to the gut barrier, and alterations in the gut microbiome (dysbiosis). Furthermore, NPs can act as “Trojan horses,” carrying heavy metals, pathogens, or antibiotic-resistant bacteria on their surfaces into the human body. Research has even detected microplastics in human blood and tissues, raising concerns about potential links to inflammatory bowel disease and endocrine disruption.
The Detection Dilemma
One reason this topic is not discussed enough is the difficulty of detection. Current technology struggles to identify and quantify particles this small in complex food matrices. While we have methods to count microplastics, standardising the detection of NPs in soil and food remains a significant scientific hurdle. Without precise identification methods, we may be underestimating the actual quantity of plastic we consume daily.
What Can Be Done?
Currently, there is no established medical method to treat or remove NPs once they have been ingested. The focus, therefore, must shift to mitigation and remediation. Scientists are exploring advanced methods to remove NPs from water, including the use of biochar, magnetic separation, and even bacteria that can biodegrade plastics.
For the consumer, the takeaway is cautious awareness. We must recognise that our reliance on plastic packaging, from takeaway containers to tea bags, is not just an environmental issue. It is a direct food safety risk. As research advances, the call for rigorous detection methods and strict regulation on plastic use in food contact materials will likely become the next great battleground in public health.
The EFRA project directly supports the scientific and regulatory challenges raised by nanoplastics by enabling the integration, harmonisation and analysis of complex environmental and food-chain datasets. Through the EFRA Data Hub and AI-driven analytics services, researchers and food safety authorities can combine public monitoring data, laboratory measurements, toxicology findings and industrial process information to generate early warnings and refined risk assessments related to micro and nanoplastic contamination. EFRA’s federated learning capabilities also make it possible to train advanced models on sensitive industrial data without compromising confidentiality, helping stakeholders detect emerging contamination patterns in real time. In this way, EFRA contributes to strengthening Europe’s ability to anticipate and mitigate the growing risks associated with nanoplastics in the food system.
