Can microplastics from food and packaging make food allergies worse in children?

What's actually in it

Microplastics enter the gut through food, water, and even baby formula. In the gut, they disrupt the intestinal barrier, the layer of cells that separates gut contents from the bloodstream. When this barrier is compromised, food proteins are more likely to trigger immune responses.

The gut is where food allergies are largely programmed. A disrupted gut barrier and an altered immune environment during early childhood increases the risk of developing and worsening food allergies.

What the research says

A 2026 study on polypropylene microplastics and cow's milk allergy found that oral microplastic exposure exacerbated allergic responses to cow's milk protein. The microplastics altered gut immune cell populations and increased gut permeability, creating conditions that intensified the allergic reaction.

Polypropylene microplastics come from plastic food containers, bottle caps, plastic bags, and many packaged food environments. Children encounter these plastics constantly through packaged foods, drinks in plastic bottles, and food prepared or stored in plastic containers.

For children with existing food allergies or allergic tendencies, reducing plastic container use and choosing glass or stainless steel for food and drink reduces microplastic gut exposure from the highest-contribution sources.