We talked to expert Dr Sieglinde Stähle about the current state of knowledge as regards microplastic in food. Dr Stähle is a member of the scientific management in the leading association of the German food industry, where she is responsible among other things for food hygiene, food contact materials and standardisation. In addition, the food technologist and graduate food engineer is a member of the Executive Committee of the German Food Code Committee and also belongs to the BfR Commission for Consumer Products of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). Dr Stähle is, on behalf the leading association of the German food industry, a member of committees of the German Institute for Standardisation and the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology. The food association of Germany represents, as the umbrella and leading association, the interests of the entire food chain. Its members comprise around 80 trade associations and 350 individual companies in the food industry.
 
Dr Stähle, microplastic in food is a subject that attracts a great deal of attention and is a cause of concern for many people. Publications on studies maintain that such microparticles have been detected in liquid foodstuffs, for example in drinking water. In your opinion, how are such studies to be rated against the background of the currently available sampling methods and analytics?
 

In the last few years, there have been a large number of individual international studies of differing scientific quality, which can be regarded as indications of the presence of microparticles in water and food. Since the studies cannot be compared with one another because of the different methodical approaches and the lack of valid analysis methods, they cannot be evaluated to provide an overall picture of how many and what sort of microparticles occur in drinking water or certain food. The fact is that, because of the ubiquitous occurrence of microparticles in air, water and soil, these unavoidably enter our food chain. That food is free of microplastic is therefore not to be expected. The relevant question is whether it leads to health hazards and under what circumstances.
 
How is the potential uptake of microplastic into the human organism to be evaluated under toxicological aspects?
 
It will certainly be a long scientific road until concrete risk evaluations become available. Merely the possible range of sizes and state of the particles that are, in terms of definition, referred to as "microplastic particles", is gigantic. Yet there are important studies from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) with scientific models and feeding experiments that give indications of the health risks incurred through the intake of microparticles with the food: According to the current state of know-how – says the BfR – it is unlikely that plastic particles in food will cause health risks for human beings. The present data situation does not, however, allow any risk evaluation of the effect of microplastic on the human body, but that will certainly change. Up until now, there is no proof of any harmful effects.
 
How do you assess the danger that additives in plastics constitute a risk to human health, above all taking into account the strict regulations within the EU on plastics and additives in contact with food?
 
The same applies as to what has already been said: There is no scientific proof that microplastic particles represent a health risk when ingested with the food or with care products and cosmetics. Here, too, we refer in the industry to the BfR, an institute that has been dealing with the question of dermal and oral absorption of intentionally used microplastic. The result shows that it cannot be assumed that, during the passage through the gastro-intestinal tract, quantities of health-relevant chemical additives or contaminants are released from these particles.
 
Dr Stähle, thank you very much for the interview!

(October 2024)