Consumers and livestock can be exposed to microplastics (MPs) via the food/feed they ingest. To facilitate reduced exposure, standardized analytical methods are required, which are currently lacking. Therefore, this project aims to develop and standardize analytical methods for MPs in food and feed. Looking at different processing steps in the production chain, a root-cause analysis allows identification of possible sources of MPs origin and enables risk mitigation strategies.

The overall aim of this project is to further develop and standardize analytical measurement methods for
microplastics in food and feed products, as well as developing AI tools for detection of microplastics.

Microplastics (MPs) could be introduced into food via various sources, such as through contamination of raw
materials, through contact of food with plastics packaging, or through various processing steps, varying from
processing at the food factory to processing at home (Figure 1). Although many studies have been published on
the incidence of MPs in various foods (mostly liquid foods, sea food and salt), only few appear to have been
well-executed and reliable (Zimmermann et al., 2025)1. There is a growing public interest in the presence of MPs in food, but data gaps persist which have resulted in calls for more elaborate and well-executed studies
(EFSA, 2025). Besides research guidelines on how to correctly detect, identify and report MPs (Cowger et al.,
2020)2, new procedures to determine the most likely origin of MPs are also tested. Analysis of the feedstocks,
intermediates and final products helps to identify when MPs enter the food chain (Visentin et al., 2025)3
.
Dynamic and spatial analysis can confirm the food contact material present as the most likely source of MPs at
this stage of the food chain (Zimmermann et al., 2025)1. As the origin of MPs in especially solid food products is
currently insufficiently clearly established, incumbent food manufacturers and regulators cannot determine
whether or to what extent mitigation may be required, nor select the most effective mitigating measures in
that case. This project intends to fill this knowledge gap for several well-chosen food products.