Policy Brief: Impacts of plastics across the food system

What are food systems?
The food system is a term that describes all the actors and activities involved in bringing foodstuffs into human
diets, from production, processing and transportation to retailing, consumption and waste management. Industrial
food systems are a leading driver of plastic production, set to almost triple by 2060, and are simultaneously
vulnerable to all plastic pollution impacts.Food systems represent a major sectoral opportunity for substantial
action against plastic pollution that, if implemented effectively and appropriately, could support food system
resilience, sustainability and planetary health.

Why is it important to consider the impacts of plastic pollution from food systems?

1.The big picture: Food systems drive plastics production with lifecycle impacts on planetary health
The capacity of food systems to provide sufficient, safe, sustainable and equitable food and nutrition to global populations is entrenched in the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Globalised food systems account for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and use millions of tonnes of plastics each year; more than 99% of which are derived from fossil fuels. The entire life cycle of these plastics contributes to climate change and the exceeding of planetary boundaries long before and after fulfilling their intended use in food systems.

Vast quantities of plastics used in agriculture and fisheries are poorly managed, lost or discarded. The industrial agricultural sector accounts for 3.5% of annual global plastic use, including for plastic mulch, polytunnels, greenhouses, encapsulated fertilisers and seeds, irrigation and storage equipment. Intended to support yields, control weeds, mediate resource use, and reduce spoilage, the majority of these are either not practically recyclable nor safely or sustainably managed.

Food and drink packaging accounts for approximately 10-20% of plastics produced (based on conservative estimates). They have extremely short life spans and are among the most prevalent environmental pollutants globally 11 contributing to broad public health risks including infectious diseases.

Toxic chemicals: Like all plastics, those used across food systems contain thousands of chemicals, of which at least 3,000 are of concern – associated with hazards related to persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity, all of which affect human health and the environment. Chemicals in plastic food contact materials are of particular concern as they directly contaminate crops, soils and foodstuffs for human and animal consumption. They also indirectly (re)circulate into food chains throughout their life cycles, including when recycled.

Open burning of plastic food packaging is prevalent in low-income settings with limited waste management systems, and leads to the formation of highly toxic and persistent dioxin compounds, putting vulnerable populations, livelihoods, and ecosystems at disproportionate health risks, while mounting pressure on public health systems.

2. Harms of their own making: Food system vulnerabilities to plastic pollution
Food production and food chain contamination: Plastics and their associated chemicals used across food systems contaminate food production environments and enter (and circulate in) food chains via terrestrial, atmospheric, and aquatic pathways. Soil health is critical to sustaining life on earth 16, but toxic plastic residues and fragments are now abundant in soils, introduced through processes such as agricultural mulching, plastic-coated agrochemicals and seeds, wastewater for irrigation, sewage sludge for fertilizer, and compost contaminated with micro- and nano-plastics when post-consumer food waste is depackaged for biomass. This pollution can lead to changes in critical soil properties e.g. carbon and nutrient cycling as well as uptake into plants and crops. Ruminant animals commonly ingest plastic both on and off-farm, while high levels of microplastics have been identified in aquatic food sources. Such sustained contamination of food production environments and food chains may affect food security and food sovereignty long term , with potentially acute implications for lowerincome economies reliant on agriculture and/or experiencing food and nutrition insecurity. As such, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that “the urgency for coordinated and decisive action [on agricultural plastics] cannot be understated”.

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