Microplastic Contamination Assessment Project

Reference

Food regulatory body Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a project to develop methods to assess and detect microplastic contamination in food products.

Microplastics

• Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic (microscopic particles) ranging in size from five millimetres to one micrometre.
• They have emerged as a significant environmental and health concern worldwide, from human blood to testicles, flora and fauna.

About the Microplastic Contamination Assessment Project

• Introduction : New project to develop and assess analytical methods for detection of micro and nano-plastics in various food products by FSSAI in March 2024.
• Project Title : ‘Micro-plastics and Nano-plastics emerging food contaminants: Establishment of validated methods and understanding prevalence in various food matrices.
• Objective: To assess the prevalence and risk levels of microplastics in India.
• Implementation: In collaboration with leading research institutes across the country including CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow), ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi) and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani).
• Need: Global studies have looked at the presence of microplastics in various food items but there is a dearth of data in India necessitating the creation of specific reliable data.

Key goals of the Microplastic Contamination Assessment Project

• Develop standard protocols for micro/nano-plastic analysis.
• Comparison of data within and between laboratories.
• Generate critical data on micro-plastic exposure levels among consumers.

Benefits of the Microplastic Contamination Assessment Project

• The project will help understand the extent of microplastic contamination in Indian food.
• It will guide the formulation of effective regulations and safety standards to protect public health.
• The findings of the project will also contribute to the global understanding of microplastic contamination.