They Found Microplastics in Your Sugar
NonToxCo Research
Science & Safety Team · 4/6/2026
Refined white sugar from the grocery store contains microplastic particles. Researchers found plastic pieces as small as 5 micrometers hidden inside it.
What the Study Found
A 2026 study in food contamination research tested refined sugar from the Italian market and found small microplastic particles (100 to 5 µm) in the samples. These are hidden pollutants in a product that virtually everyone uses daily.
Sugar is in everything: baked goods, drinks, sauces, processed food. If the sugar itself is contaminated with microplastics, every product made with it carries the contamination forward.
How Microplastics Get Into Sugar
Microplastics enter during processing, packaging, and transport. Sugar processing involves filtration, centrifugation, and drying, all of which use plastic-containing equipment. Plastic packaging adds another source of contamination.
What You Can Do
Reduce sugar intake overall (which is good for other reasons too). Choose less processed sweeteners. Store sugar in glass containers. And remember that microplastics are in more foods than you think.
Check out our non-toxic kitchen alternatives for cleaner food storage.
Also see glass food containers for safer alternatives.