Scientists in the Netherlands have found microplastics in beef and pork and in the blood of cows and pigs on farms.
The study – carried out by staff at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – also found microplastics in every sample of animal pellet feed they tested.
Having reported finding microplastics in human blood for the first time in March this year, the scientists used the same methods to test animal products.
The research was commissioned by the Plastic Soup Foundation.
“With microplastics present in livestock feed, it is not surprising that a clear majority of the meat and dairy products tested contained microplastics,” commented the Foundation’s Maria Westerbos, who added: “We urgently need to rid the world of plastic in animal feed to protect the health of livestock and humans.”
For more details, see The Guardian: Microplastics detected in meat, milk and blood of farm animals.
