Majority of burgers, steaks, chicken, plant-based meats contain microplastics, study reveals

A new study by the University of Toronto has found that the vast majority of meat and plant-based proteins contain tiny plastic particles.

The latest study discovered that 90 per cent of proteins – including beef, chicken, tofu, and three different plant-based alternatives – contain as much plastic as fish.

Highly-processed foods like fish sticks, chicken nuggets, tofu, and plant-based burgers were found to contain more microplastics per gram than minimally-processed proteins like chicken breast but the difference was statistically negligible, the study explained.

Micro- and nanoplastics are miniscule particles which shed from larger plastic products. Increasing numbers of studies have shown that they can damage cells in the human body, leading to serious health effects, including cancers, lung disease, and birth defects.