Does white cheese contain microplastics from packaging?

What's actually in it

White cheeses like feta, mozzarella, and queso fresco are stored in plastic containers, vacuum-sealed bags, or brine-filled tubs. The acidic and salty environment in cheese packaging encourages plastic breakdown. Small fragments shed from the packaging and embed themselves in the cheese.

You can't see or taste these particles. They're too small to detect without lab equipment, but you eat them with every serving.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Food Res Int developed a method to extract and count microplastics in white cheese. They tested commercially available products and identified the types of plastic present.

Microplastics were found in every cheese sample. The most common types were polyethylene and polypropylene, which match the materials used in cheese packaging.

The particle counts varied by brand and packaging type. Cheese stored in softer, flexible packaging tended to have more microplastics than cheese in rigid containers.

If you buy cheese regularly, transferring it to glass containers when you get home and avoiding heating cheese in its original plastic packaging can reduce your exposure.