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Hidden Pollutants in Food: Evidence of Small Microplastic Particles (100–5 µm) in Refined Sugar from the Italian Market
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Researchers found microplastic particles (5–100 µm) in refined sugar sold in the Italian market, adding to growing evidence that common everyday foods are a route of human microplastic exposure. The dataset accompanies a study confirming contamination even in highly processed food products, raising questions about how much plastic people inadvertently consume through their diet.
This is the dataset of "Hidden Pollutants in Food: Evidence of Small Microplastic Particles (100–5 µm) in Refined Sugar from the Italian Market" This research is funded by the project 21GRD07 PlasticTrace. This project has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and by the Participating States. Funder name: European Partnership on Metrology• Funder ID: 10.13039/100019599• Grant number: 21GRD07 PlasticTrace
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Hidden Pollutants in Food: Evidence of Small Microplastic Particles (100–5 µm) in Refined Sugar from the Italian Market
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Researchers analyzed samples of refined sugar from the Italian market and detected small microplastic particles ranging from 5 to 100 micrometers in size, confirming that microplastics are present in a widely consumed everyday food product. The findings add to growing evidence that humans are routinely ingesting microplastics through common foods, even highly processed ones like refined sugar where contamination pathways are not immediately obvious. This raises questions about cumulative dietary exposure and the need for food safety standards around microplastic contamination.
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Researchers analyzed refined white sugar from major Italian brands for microplastic contamination using a novel approach that avoids chemical digestion. The study found that the majority of detected particles were smaller than 20 micrometers, with PVC as the most abundant polymer, highlighting a gap in current EU regulatory frameworks that do not fully address this size fraction in food monitoring.
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Researchers found tiny plastic bits (microplastics) in both white and brown sugar sold in stores, likely coming from equipment used during processing rather than the plants themselves or packaging. The amounts were surprisingly high, so much so that sugar may expose you to more microplastics than other foods studied so far, including salt, meaning your morning coffee or baked goods could be a bigger source of plastic exposure than previously thought. More research is needed to know exactly how this affects health, but it's a good reason for manufacturers to clean up their processing methods.
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