Papers

Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait

Researchers argue that the strong and growing evidence linking ultra-processed foods to heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions justifies immediate public health action. Ultra-processed foods may cause harm through multiple pathways, including their plastic packaging, chemical additives, and poor nutritional quality. The authors stress that waiting for complete scientific understanding of every mechanism should not delay policies to reduce consumption of these foods.

Cell-cultivated aquatic food products: emerging production systems for seafood

This review examines cell-cultivated seafood, a new approach to producing fish protein by growing fish cells in a lab rather than catching or farming fish. One potential benefit is avoiding the microplastic contamination found in wild and farmed fish, since the production environment can be controlled. As concerns grow about microplastics accumulating in seafood, lab-grown alternatives could offer a way to reduce human exposure to microplastics through diet.

A Call to Include Plastics in the Global Environment in the Class of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants

This viewpoint paper argues that plastics in the environment should be formally classified as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants, the same category as chemicals like DDT and mercury. The authors present evidence that plastics meet all three criteria: they resist degradation, accumulate in organisms and food chains, and release harmful chemicals. Reclassifying plastics this way could trigger stronger regulatory protections worldwide.

Impact of Micro‐ and Nano‐Plastics on Human Intestinal Organoid‐Derived Epithelium

Researchers developed a detailed protocol for testing how micro and nanoplastics affect the human intestinal lining using patient-derived intestinal organoids, which are lab-grown miniature gut tissues that closely mimic real human intestines. The model includes specialized M cells that are key to how particles cross the gut barrier, making it more realistic than standard cell line experiments. This advanced testing approach will help scientists better understand how microplastics we swallow through food and water interact with and potentially damage the human digestive system.

Plastics’ circular economy for the Galapagos Islands? Exploring plastics governance with implications for social and ocean equity in a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Researchers explored the feasibility of implementing a plastics circular economy in the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site facing significant marine plastic pollution. They examined the governance structures needed to address plastic waste while balancing conservation goals with the needs of local communities. The study highlights how remote island communities in the global South face unique challenges in managing plastic pollution equitably.

Navigating the continuum between adaptation and maladaptation

A Decision Framework for Selecting Critically Important Nutrients from Aquatic Foods

Researchers created a decision framework to help identify which nutrients from fish and other aquatic foods are most important for human health and nutrition research. The framework considers how essential each nutrient is to the body, how much a population needs it, and whether aquatic foods are a uniquely valuable source compared to other dietary options. The study highlights 41 key nutrients and provides guidance for prioritizing future research on the nutritional value of seafood.

Goals in Nutrition Science 2025–2030

This research summary argues that nutrition science needs to change how it approaches food problems over the next five years (2025-2030). Instead of studying single nutrients or foods in isolation, scientists say we need to look at the whole food system—including how climate change, economics, and social factors all affect what people can access and eat. This matters because our current approach isn't solving major nutrition and food security problems, and we need better strategies to ensure everyone has healthy, sustainable food as global challenges increase.

Fish—To Eat or Not to Eat? A Mixed-Methods Investigation of the Conundrum of Fish Consumption in the Context of Marine Pollution in Indonesia

Researchers investigated the dilemma of fish consumption in Indonesia amid marine pollution, using mixed methods to explore sociodemographic factors and perceptions that influence whether people continue eating fish despite contamination concerns.

Repurposing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste as an antibacterial packaging material

Researchers repurposed PET plastic waste by integrating antimicrobial agents during reprocessing, creating antibacterial packaging material from recycled PET that inhibits bacterial growth — demonstrating a circular economy approach that adds functional value to plastic waste.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nutrition, Health and Environment in Indonesia: A Qualitative Investigation of Perspectives from Multi-Disciplinary Experts

Qualitative expert interviews in Indonesia found that health behaviors heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic were not sustained afterward, and that the pandemic may have worsened both nutritional inequalities and marine plastic pollution. The findings generate hypotheses for future quantitative research to guide policy responses.

Microplastic accumulation visually and fluorescently undetectable within deepwater corals of the remote equatorial Pacific

Ocean Microplastic Footprint and Potential Exposure Index for Coastal Indigenous Communities

Researchers developed a Microplastic Potential Exposure Index (MPEI) by mapping ocean microplastic concentrations and estimating exposure through seafood consumption, finding that coastal Indigenous communities in countries like Kiribati, Greenland, and Canada face among the highest potential exposures. The index provides a practical tool for policymakers to identify the most vulnerable populations and prioritize interventions for plastic waste management and ocean pollution mitigation.

The Next 100 Years of Polymer Science

This review reflects on 100 years of polymer science since Hermann Staudinger's foundational work on polymerization, examining how synthetic polymers have transformed modern society and exploring future directions for the field.

Ingested Plastic in the Great Northern Diver, the Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Researchers analyzed necropsy data from 654 Common Loons (Gavia immer) in the northeastern US from 2011 to 2022, finding macroplastics in 16.2% of birds and suspected microplastics — predominantly clear fibers — in 100% of the 37 loons examined for microplastic content.

Aligning classroom assessment with engineering practice: A design‐based research study of a two‐stage exam with authentic assessment

This education research paper describes the design of a two-stage exam incorporating authentic engineering assessment tasks. It is not related to microplastics or environmental health.

Raman Spectroscopy for Detection of Foodborne Pathogens, Chemical Contaminants and Nanoparticles

Nonlinear Ultrasonic Techniques for Material Characterization

Tuning the Physical Properties of Carboxylated Cellulose Nanocrystal (cCNC) Microspheres by Hybridizing with Silk Fibroin (SF)

Researchers developed hybrid microspheres combining carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals with silk fibroin protein, finding that a small addition of silk fibroin dramatically increased hydrophobicity and improved mechanical properties. The material could serve as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based microplastic microspheres in cosmetics and drug delivery applications.