Plastic Chemicals in Food: Why Even Organic Isn't Safe
You’ve been there — reaching for the organic mac and cheese, reassured by the label. You’re doing everything right. But new research suggests even our “cleanest” foods may carry something far less wholesome: plastics-related chemicals that disrupt hormones and threaten long-term health.
Not microplastics you can see — these are invisible, molecular-scale plastic-derived chemicals like phthalates and bisphenols. And they're showing up in surprising places.
The data doesn’t lie
In one of the most comprehensive U.S. studies of its kind, PlasticList tested 283 foods — from boxed organics to fast food — and found plastics-related chemicals in 86% of them. These are chemicals that originate from plastic materials and end up in food through packaging, processing, or the environment. They include a range of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) — compounds that mimic or interfere with hormones.
One of the most contaminated foods tested? Annie’s Organic Classic Cheddar Mac and Cheese. It contained some of the highest levels of bisphenols, particularly BPA. That's not a knock on Annie’s — it’s a wake-up call for the entire food industry.
Other food items tested included wild caught salmon and organic, grass-fed steak from Whole Foods, as well as pizza from Domino’s making the list. And hot takeout foods, often stored in plastic-lined containers, were shown to carry 34% more EDCs than fresh or room-temperature items.
How these chemicals end up in our food
These aren’t chunks of plastic—this is chemistry. Plastics don’t need to be visible to leave their mark. Through heat, pressure, or time, plastic materials leach chemicals into food in ways that are largely invisible and largely unregulated.
Here’s how:
Phthalates and bisphenols can leach from food packaging, plastic wrap, or containers — especially when heated.
Processing equipment like conveyor belts, tubing, and even gloves used in food manufacturing can transfer EDCs.
Contaminated water and soil may carry microplastics that release these chemicals into plants and animals — even in organic farming.
Even materials marketed as “safer,” like BPA-free plastics, often rely on substitutes such as BPS, BPF, or DINCH, which may have similar or unknown risks.
These substances include common offenders like:
Phthalates: DEHP, DBP, DINP, DEP, DMP, DIDP, and others.
Bisphenols: BPA, BPS, and BPF.
Substitutes: DEHT, DEHA, DINCH, and DIDA.
Why it matters: for you, and the planet
Phthalates and bisphenols—two of the most common plastics-related endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)—are strongly linked to hormone disruption, fertility issues, developmental delays, metabolic disease, and more.¹² These aren’t fringe findings—they’re backed by decades of research and growing urgency in the scientific community.
And the environmental cost? Just as serious. When packaging and processing materials leach EDCs into our food, they don’t stop there. These chemicals persist—lingering in landfills, drifting through soil, and contaminating water systems.
Contaminated packaging pollutes food, that food pollutes our bodies, and that waste pollutes the planet we rely on to grow more food. It all comes full circle.
Making safer choices in a plastic-soaked world
This system wasn’t built with your health in mind — but we can begin to shift it, one choice at a time. You don’t need to overhaul your pantry overnight. You just need to know enough to begin.
Try these swaps to help reduce your exposure to chemicals:
Avoid reheating food in plastic containers, even if they’re labeled microwave safe.³
Store leftovers in glass, ceramics, or stainless steel.
Choose fresh or bulk items with minimal packaging where possible.
Skip plastic straws, utensils, and lids, especially with hot or acidic foods.
Ask questions — of brands, restaurants, legislators. Push for transparency and safer materials.
A movement starts with awareness
This isn’t about fear. It’s about knowledge. Every time you learn something new, every time you ask a question or make a change, you shift the system. You create a ripple. And those ripples add up more than you may think.
Sources
1 Wang, Y., & Qian, H. (2021). Phthalates and their impacts on human health. Healthcare (Basel), 9(5), 603. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8157593/
2 Dubey, I., Khan, S., & Kushwaha, S. (2022). Developmental and reproductive toxic effects of exposure to microplastics: A review of associated signaling pathways. Frontiers in Toxicology, 4, 901798. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9471315/
3 Jadhav, E. B., Sankhla, M. S., Bhat, R. A., & Bhagat, D. S. (2021). Microplastics from food packaging: An overview of human consumption, health threats, and alternative solutions. Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, 16, 100608. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2215153221001835
