Microplastics in Food

Dear Colleagues,

Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, acting as vectors for hazardous material and toxins. Recent studies have suggested that microplastics could enter the food chain through water, seafood, and edible plants, eventually being ingested by humans. Microplastics have been detected in our daily foods, such as honey, beer, salt, sugar, and tea. Although we lack direct evidence of the physical harm that microplastics cause to humans, we do know that they can incite many adverse effects such as inflammation, changes in cell-membrane permeability, oxidative stress, metabolism disorders, and gut microbiota dysbiosis. There is still a large knowledge gap on the distribution and possible transportation route of microplastics to the human body through food consumption and its negative impacts on human health.

This Special Issue will focus on research that determines the occurrence of microplastics in food and agricultural products, unveils the accumulation and migration of microplastics in the food production system, and estimates the intake of microplastics in the human body from food ingestion. We also welcome studies on the potential health implications of microplastics on humans and food policies and practices to regulate, mitigate, and intervene in microplastic hazards in foods.

Prof. Dr. Hao Zheng
Dr. Xiaomeng Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microplastics
• nanoplastics
• food safety
• pollution
• risk assessment
• toxicological effects
• vulnerability analysis
• human health
• microbiome