Can store-bought white cheese contain microplastics?
caution
What's actually in it
White cheese can touch plastic during processing, packaging, transport, and storage. Common food-contact plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET.
Microplastics can also come from the wider food environment, not only the final wrapper. That means a single shopper cannot control every source, but home storage choices can still reduce extra plastic contact after purchase.
What the research says
A 2026 study in Food Res Int developed a digestion method to measure microplastics in white cheese. Researchers tested 3 commercial white cheese samples.
They found 50, 48, and 40 microplastic particles per 100 g in the samples. The study identified 11 plastic types, with polyethylene, ethylene ethyl acrylate copolymer, polyester, and poly(acrylamide-acrylic acid) among the most common.
This does not mean every cheese product has the same level. The study supports a careful habit: reduce extra plastic contact where you can. Choose less-packaged cheese when practical, avoid heating cheese in plastic, and move opened cheese into glass or ceramic storage at home.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Development of a digestion method for microplastic quantification in white cheese and detection by micro-Raman imaging. | Food Res Int | 2026 |