October 2024 Issue
Green Matters: Reducing Plastics in the Kitchen
By Jamie Santa Cruz
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 26 No. 8 P. 12
Confronting the Plastic Problem at Home
Planet Earth faces a plastic crisis. Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year,1 contributing to severe environmental pollution and posing serious health risks.
Changing the plastic culture will take effort from governments and big business. But individual Americans can help in their own kitchens—and dietitians can show the way.
“As RDs, we’re uniquely and powerfully positioned to influence plastic culture due to our intersectional knowledge of food systems, nutrition, and human health,” says Ayten Salahi, MS, RDN, a dietitian in private practice in Los Angeles.
Kitchen Plastics Key Concerns
Environmental Impact
Only 9% of plastic produced is recycled; the rest clutters the natural environment.1 Approximately 1.7 million tons of plastic end up in oceans annually, seriously impacting marine life.1 While kitchens aren’t the only source of plastic waste, items used in food production are a major contributor. The top four most widespread plastic items in Earth’s oceans are single-use bags, plastic bottles, food containers, and food wrappers—all of which are related to food and drink packaging.2
Human Health Impact
“You know how your skin sloughs off? […] Plastic is constantly shedding too,” says Melissa Valliant, BS, BA, communications director at Beyond Plastics, a project of Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont, that’s working to end single-use plastic pollution.
Microplastics—that is, plastic particles less than 5 mm in length—have been found in various foods, including meats, cow’s milk, salt, fish, fruit, and vegetables. They’re also routinely found in drinking water and air. 3-8 “There’s not one person on this earth that doesn’t have microplastics in their diet,” Valliant says.
The health implications remain unclear, but it’s known that microplastics make their way into various bodily systems, including human blood, lower airways, breastmilk, and placentas, among others.9-12 Certain chemicals used to make plastics, such as BPA and phthalates, are known endocrine disruptors,13,14, and there’s concern that microplastics may contribute to health issues like respiratory diseases, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.15-20
Plastic ingestion is “a significant health issue, even if it doesn’t get all that much attention in the nutrition world,” says Ryah Nabielski, MS, RDN, a functional nutritionist in private practice in Denver.
Steps to Reduce Kitchen Plastic
Step 1: Eliminate Single-Use Plastics
“There’s a hierarchy here when you’re talking about how best to combat plastics and keep yourself safe. Single-use plastics are the easiest place to start,” Valliant says.
Regarding water: Microplastics have been found in both tap water and bottled water, but the concentration is higher in bottled water. “It’s just very easy to avoid bottled water and drink tap,” says Lisa Ramsden, BS, BA, senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace USA.
Cooking at home can significantly reduce reliance on single-use plastics, as prepared meals often involve excessive packaging, according to Brianna Sheppard, BS, MS, manager of plastic and material science at the World Wildlife Fund. Many people think of home cooking only for its health benefits, so dietitians should help expand their understanding. “It’s not just good for you. It’s good for the planet as well.”
Step 2: Tackling Reusable Plastics
While reusable plastics are less problematic for the environment, they still raise health concerns.
The coatings on nonstick cookware, particularly Teflon coatings, have been shown to release thousands of microplastics with each use.21 The biggest concern is with scratched cookware, as scratched areas tend to release even more plastic particles than unscratched surfaces.21
What about reusable plastics that clients already have in their kitchens? Should they get rid of those? From a health perspective, the answer might be yes, but from an environmental standpoint, no. “The more use you can get out of reusable products, the lower their environmental footprint,” Sheppard explains, whose key goal is to “keep plastic out of landfills and ecosystems.”
It’s reasonable to keep some reusable plastics, but Ramsden recommends swapping them out if they look worn. “If they’re showing wear and tear, they’re likely shedding [more] microplastics,” she says. Scratched nonstick pans should also be replaced.
For reusable plastics that clients continue using, beware of exposing them to heat since heat breaks down plastics and makes them more likely to leach chemicals. 22-24 Don’t put plastics in the dishwasher, and “For the love of God, do not microwave your food in plastic,” Valliant says. The FDA and some other organizations state that plastics labeled “microwave safe” are OK to microwave, but some research shows that even these “safe” plastics still release billions of plastic particles into food when heated. 25,26
Swaps Not to Trust
Manufacturers are increasingly coming out with “green” alternatives to plastic, but not all are as beneficial as they look. For example:
• Biodegradable or compostable plastics. Biodegradable plastics often contain the same concerning chemicals as regular plastics, Valliant explains. And “compostable plastic typically needs to go to a specialized industrial composting facility, which is highly rare in the US.” Most of the industrial composting facilities that do exist won’t even accept compostable packaging because of concerns that residues or chemical contamination will affect their final soil product.27
• Nonstick cookware labeled PTFE or PFOA. The two main chemicals of concern in traditional nonstick cookware are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), both of which are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Many manufacturers are now using alternative nonstick coatings, but the alternative coatings may substitute other chemicals that are still in the PFAS category.28 The concern, according to Nabielski, is that these substitutes have similar health effects as the original chemicals. The best bet, she says, is to stick with stainless steel, cast iron, or enameled cast iron cookware.
• Any alternative to plastic that is single-use. Materials like glass can be an improvement over plastic in that glass is infinitely recyclable and it doesn’t leach chemicals. However, producing and recycling glass still has environmental costs. Mining silica sand to make glass causes environmental damage,29 and melting the raw materials to make new glass releases greenhouse gases.30 The environmental impact of producing a new glass jar is actually greater than for a plastic container.31
“Ultimately, we need to be moving away from the single-use mentality that we have right now,” even with materials like glass, Ramsden says. “The longer-term solution that we see is switching to systems of refill and reuse.”
Barriers to Plastic Reduction
A big barrier to reducing plastic is cost. Eco-friendly options can be pricier. “Polling has shown that most people are willing to pay a little bit more to avoid plastic, but I’m aware that some people just can’t,” Valliant says.
However, switching to plastic alternatives doesn’t have to mean big spending. Instead of buying glass food storage containers, start with simply reusing glass jars, Nabielski recommends. Also, talk with clients about the potential savings in the long run: Buying silicone pouches is more expensive up front, but it means no longer buying Ziploc bags on repeat.
A second major barrier is convenience. “Americans want food to be fast and easy,” Nabielski says. “One of the best things you can do is cook for yourself, which will reduce your plastic, but for a lot of people, this is hard.” She suggests talking with clients about using simple recipes and batch cooking to make it as simple as possible.
Finally, remind clients to make changes gradually. “Replace things as you go,” Nabielski says. “Take it one thing at a time.”
Toward Collective Action
Ultimately, individuals can’t solve the plastic problem alone. “If we’re all trying to minimize plastic that we’re using in our everyday lives, it will make a difference,” she says. However, corporations are making it very difficult to minimize plastic consumption. “You go to the grocery store, and nearly everything is packaged in plastic.”
True transformation will require government initiatives like bans on single-use plastics or economic incentives for sustainable packaging. “Dietitians can and should participate in political advocacy for policies that reduce plastic production and waste,” Salahi says.
In the meantime, though, dietitians should encourage clients to do the best they can. “Small choices do add up and contribute to meaningful change,” Sheppard explains.
— Jamie Santa Cruz is a freelance writer in Parker, Colorado.
References
1. Plastic pollution is growing relentlessly as waste management and recycling fall short, says OECD. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development website. https://www.oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2022/02/plastic-pollution-is-growing-relentlessly-as-waste-management-and-recycling-fall-short.html. Published February 22, 2022. Accessed July 14, 2024.
2. Morales-Caselles C, Viejo J, Marti E, et al. An inshore-offshore sorting system revealed from global classification of ocean litter. Nat Sustain. 2021;4:484-493.
3. Milne MH, De Frond H, Rochman CM, Mallos NJ, Leonard GH, Baechler BR. Exposure of US adults to microplastics from commonly-consumed proteins. Environ Pollut. 2024;343:123233.
4. Azeem I, Adeel M, Ahmad MA, et al. Uptake and accumulation of nano/microplastics in plants: a critical review. Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021;11(11):2935.
5. Kuttykattil A, Raju S, Vanka KS, et al. Consuming microplastics? Investigation of commercial salts as a source of microplastics (MPs) in diet. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023;30(1):930-942.
6. Da Costa Filho PA, Andrey D, Eriksen B, et al. Detection and characterization of small-sized microplastics (≥ 5 µm) in milk products. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):24046.
7. Gambino I, Bagordo F, Grassi T, Panico A, De Donno A. Occurrence of microplastics in tap and bottled water: current knowledge. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9):5283.
8. Torres-Agullo A, Karanasiou A, Moreno T, Lacorte S. Overview on the occurrence of microplastics in air and implications from the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Total Environ. 2021;800:149555.
9. Leslie HA, van Velzen MJM, Brandsma SH, Vethaak AD, Garcia-Vallejo JJ, Lamoree MH. Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environ Int. 2022;163:107199.
10. Baeza-Martínez C, Olmos S, González-Pleiter M, et al. First evidence of microplastics isolated in European citizens' lower airway. J Hazard Mater. 2022;438:129439.
11. Ragusa A, Notarstefano V, Svelato A, et al. Raman microspectroscopy detection and characterisation of microplastics in human breastmilk. Polymers (Basel). 2022;14(13):2700.
12. Braun T, Ehrlich L, Henrich W, et al. Detection of microplastic in human placenta and meconium in a clinical setting. Pharmaceutics. 2021;13(7):921.
13. Fenichel P, Chevalier N, Brucker-Davis F. Bisphenol A: an endocrine and metabolic disruptor. Ann Endocrinol (Paris). 2013;74(3):211-220.
14. Grindler NM, Vanderlinden L, Karthikraj R, et al. Exposure to phthalate, an endocrine disrupting chemical, alters the first trimester placental methylome and transcriptome in women. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):6086.
15. Atis S, Tutluoglu B, Levent E, et al. The respiratory effects of occupational polypropylene flock exposure. Eur Respir J. 2005;25(1):110-117.
16. Kannan K, Vimalkumar K. A review of human exposure to microplastics and insights into microplastics as obesogens. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021;12:724989.
17. Marfella R, Prattichizzo F, Sardu C, et al. Microplastics and nanoplastics in atheromas and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2024;390(10):900-910.
18. Li S, Keenan JI, Shaw IC, Frizelle FA. Could microplastics be a driver for early onset colorectal cancer? Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(13):3323.
19. Zarus GM, Muianga C, Brenner S, et al. Worker studies suggest unique liver carcinogenicity potential of polyvinyl chloride microplastics. Am J Ind Med. 2023;66(12):1033-1047.
20. Chen G, Shan H, Xiong S, et al. Polystyrene nanoparticle exposure accelerates ovarian cancer development in mice by altering the tumor microenvironment. Sci Total Environ. 2024;906:167592.
21. Luo Y, Gibson CT, Chuah C, Tang Y, Naidu R, Fang C. Raman imaging for the identification of Teflon microplastics and nanoplastics released from non-stick cookware. Sci Total Environ. 2022;851(Pt 2):158293.
22. Bittner GD, Yang CZ, Stoner MA. Estrogenic chemicals often leach from BPA-free plastic products that are replacements for BPA-containing polycarbonate products. Environ Health. 2014;13(1):41.
23. Lim DS, Kwack SJ, Kim KB, Kim HS, Lee BM. Potential risk of bisphenol A migration from polycarbonate containers after heating, boiling, and microwaving. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2009;72(21-22):1285-1291.
24. Moreira MA, André LC, Cardeal ZL. Analysis of phthalate migration to food simulants in plastic containers during microwave operations. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;11(1):507-526.
25. Is it safe to microwave plastic? Answering common safety questions about plastics food packaging. Chemical Safety Facts website. https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-and-safety/is-it-safe-to-microwave-plastic-answering-common-safety-questions-about-plastics-food-packaging. Published April 1, 2024. Accessed July 24, 2024.
26. Hussain KA, Romanova S, Okur I, et al. Assessing the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from plastic containers and reusable food pouches: implications for human health. Environ Sci Technol. 2023;57(26):9782-9792.
27. Beyond Plastics; Bennington College. Demystifying compostable and biodegradable plastics: do safe and sustainable options exist? https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5eda91260bbb7e7a4bf528d8/t/668dad2371dd296eabb148c2/1720560936673/070324_Beyond+Plastics+2024+Compostables+Report.pdf. Published July 2024. Accessed July 14, 2024.
28. Loria K. You can’t always trust claims on ‘non-toxic’ cookware. Consumer Reports website. https://www.consumerreports.org/toxic-chemicals-substances/you-cant-always-trust-claims-on-non-toxic-cookware-a4849321487/. Published October 26, 2022.
29. Ashutosh M. Impact of silica mining on environment. J Geog Reg Plann. 2014;8(6):150-156.
30. Zier M, Stenzel P, Kotzur L, Stolten D. A review of decarbonization options for the glass industry. Energy Conv Manag. 2021;10(1):100083.
31. Brock A, Williams ID. Life cycle assessment of beverage packaging. Detritus. 13(13):47-61.