Land-based protein sources like chicken, beef, pork and tofu contain as many microplastics as fishes, study finds

Microplastics have been found in nearly 90 per cent of sources of proteins, including meat and plant-based, according to a new study that serves as a startling reminder of how prolific plastic pollution has become.

While the presence of microplastics in commercial fish and shellfish has been known for long, there has been little research into terrestrial protein sources like beef and chicken that make up a large part of the Western diet.

A team of researchers studied samples from 16 different protein types destined for American consumers, including seafood, pork, beef, chicken, tofu, and three different plant-based meat alternatives. They found microplastic particles in 88 per cent of protein food samples tested.

    • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      Oh, easy, we are functional cockroaches of survival.

      Maybe we will be a different species by that point, but our descendants are still in many ways us.

      • Woht24@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        Decent point but I also wouldn’t put it past us to completely extinct ourselves one day.