Can chicken and poultry contain microplastics from processing?

What's actually in it

Chickens and other poultry are exposed to microplastics from feed, water, bedding, and processing facilities. Feed is stored in plastic bags. Water is delivered through plastic pipes. Processing plants use plastic conveyor belts, cutting boards, and packaging. At every stage, plastic particles can get into the meat.

Chickens also peck at the ground, ingesting microplastics that have settled from the air.

What the research says

A 2026 review in Poult Sci examined the evidence on microplastic contamination in poultry. They tracked how plastic enters the production chain and how much ends up in the meat consumers buy.

Microplastics were found in chicken organs, muscle tissue, and eggs. The particles accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract first, then migrate to muscle tissue, which is the part people eat.

The amount of microplastics in poultry depended on farming practices and processing methods. Free-range chickens had different contamination profiles than factory-farmed ones, and processing added additional particles from plastic equipment.

While the health impact of microplastics in poultry meat is still being studied, they add to the total microplastic load you ingest daily from all food sources combined.