Microplastics from food packaging: An overview of human consumption, health threats, and alternative solutions

Microplastic (MP) accumulation in the environment and its contamination in food products has become a global threat to both environmental and human health. But nowadays, the heavy use of plastic food containers, plastic packaging, plastic bottles, disposable cups, infant feeders, plastic-coated metal, and paper cartons has provoked the issue with direct contact and release of plastic flaking into food items. People store, transport, prepare, and consume food in plastic containers, but they aren't aware of the leaching plastic from containers into their foods and drinks and consequently, they are directly consuming MPs. In this article, we focus on revealing the release of MPs from such plastic packaging materials into our food and drinks with the factors influencing their release. The consumption of such plastic particles damages the human systems and impairs the normal metabolism processes. Therefore, this study also enlightens the possible impacts of these hazardous micro-sized particles on human health. Further, we provide an overview of the alternatives that can replace plastic packaging and aid to overcome the direct consumption of microplastics with safe food packaging.