Plastics are everywhere in our food system. They’re in our soil, polluting the ocean, and in the food packaging on our shelves. Plastic suffocates wildlife and leaches into waterways. It’s also harming human health.
More than 99% of plastics are made from crude oil, natural gas, and coal. These fossil fuels are warming the planet, worsening heat and drought, and changing Earth’s ecosystems.
Plastics never truly disappear. Instead they break down into particles that persist as microplastics. Plastic pollution disrupts the way we grow, harvest, process, and consume our food. From soil to seafood to packaged goods, plastics have become a part of the food system itself.
This month I spoke with Kelley Dennings, senior campaigner in the Center’s Population and Sustainability program, about her work on plastics and what we can do about their harm.
Jennifer Molidor: There was an effective campaign raising awareness about six-pack soda rings suffocating marine life and shorebirds. What else do people need to know about how food-system plastics harm wildlife?
Kelley Dennings: It’s such a nightmare. Not only can plastics entangle and suffocate wildlife, leading to starvation, intestinal blockages, and other health issues, but plastics are degrading habitat and causing biodiversity loss. Then there’s the “ghost gear” — lost or abandoned fishing gear floating around the ocean that traps and kills marine life.
Plastic is really a problem for every living species. Plastic particles break down into microplastics, which accumulate in soil, air, and water, disrupting ecosystems and threatening everything from microorganisms to mammals.
JM: Plastics in our food are a human health issue too, right?
KD: Yes! Plastic pollution is a public health crisis and food safety issue. The microplastics we’re ingesting have been linked with cancer risks, metabolic disorders, inflammation, and hormonal disruptions.
People who eat a great deal of processed meat and fish may be at the greatest risk of exposure. Plastic gets into our food through industrial meat and seafood, highly processed foods, and even plant-based foods, along with all the associated packaging.
JM: What kind of policy solutions do we need?
KD: Things can’t change through individual actions alone. We need policies that put the responsibilities on producers and hold them accountable for harming people and the planet. Action steps could include funding toxic-free alternatives to agricultural plastics, using new fishing gear that decreases plastic waste, and implementing polluter pay laws.
JM: What are some things people can do to avoid food system plastics in their daily lives?
KD: A great step people can choose every day is to replace disposable plastics with reusables, as well as avoiding unnecessary plastic packaging. We all know about plastic straws and grocery store bags — but there are other things we can do beyond using metal straws and durable tote bags. We can forgo plastic mulch, netting, and containers and opt for natural materials like wood mulch, hemp, jute, and organic cotton too.
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Thank you, Kelley!
This spring Kelley and Center attorney Julie Teel Simmonds joined Northeast Recycling Council, 5 Gyres, and EarthDay.org for a discussion about plastic throughout the industrial food system, from production to packaging. They covered health, the loss of nature, climate change, animal welfare, and pollution. Watch the webinar now.
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