Can plastic salt grinder heads release microplastics into your food?

What's actually in it

Most salt and pepper mills use a plastic grinder head made of polypropylene, polyethylene, or nylon. The grinding motion scrapes the plastic against hard salt crystals, wearing it down bit by bit. Each twist can release tiny plastic particles straight into your food.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Sci Total Environ tested microplastic release from plastic grinder heads during salt grinding. The researchers found that grinding produced measurable levels of microplastics that ended up mixed into the salt. The amount of particles increased with more grinding. Coarser salt crystals caused more wear on the plastic parts, releasing even more fragments.

The particles ranged from tiny specks to larger fragments visible under a microscope. Most were made of the same plastic as the grinder head itself. Since people grind salt and pepper daily, the exposure adds up over time.

If you want to cut down on microplastic exposure from grinding, look for mills with ceramic or stainless steel grinder mechanisms instead of plastic ones. These don't shed plastic particles into your food.