Is it safe to eat frozen shrimp or fish fillets from plastic bags?

What's actually in it

Fish and shrimp sold frozen come in a resealable or heat-sealed plastic bag, often with an ice glaze coating each piece. The bag is usually a polyethylene-polyamide laminate designed to resist freezer burn. During handling, shipping, and storage, the bag sheds microplastic particles onto the product inside. The glaze water freezes around the seafood with those particles included.

Shrimp and fish also pick up microplastics from ocean water and feed before they ever get packaged. The packaging adds to the total.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Food Chem measured microplastic contamination in packaged frozen seafood and ran a health risk assessment. Every sample had detectable microplastics. The bag was identifiable as a significant source separate from the seafood itself. Regular frozen-seafood eaters came out with meaningful microplastic intake.

For the best version of this, buy from the fresh seafood counter, wrapped in paper. Those products are usually frozen too (most seafood is flash-frozen on the boat and thawed for display) but without the bag step. For home stash, rinse frozen shrimp under cold water before cooking to wash off the glaze. Glass freezer containers are available for home-frozen portions. Skipping the plastic-lined frozen fish sticks in favor of plain frozen fillets takes out another layer.