A toxic relationship: ultra-processed foods & plastics.
Climate change
Commercial determinants
Industry
Plastics
Ultra-processed foods
Journal
Globalization and health
ISSN: 1744-8603
Titre abrégé: Global Health
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101245734
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
24 Oct 2024
24 Oct 2024
Historique:
received:
12
07
2024
accepted:
03
10
2024
medline:
25
10
2024
pubmed:
25
10
2024
entrez:
25
10
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Among the crises engulfing the world is the symbiotic rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and plastics. Together, this co-dependent duo generates substantial profits for agri-food and petrochemical industries at high costs for people and planet. Cheap, lightweight and highly functional, plastics have ideal properties that enable business models to create demand for low-cost, mass-produced and hyper-palatable UPFs among populations worldwide, hungry, or not. Evidence linking UPF consumption to deterioration in diet quality and higher risk of chronic diseases is well-established and growing rapidly. At the same time, the issue of plastic food contact chemicals (FCCs) is receiving increasing attention among the human health community, as is the generation and dispersion of micro- and nanoplastics. In this commentary, we explore how the lifecycles and shared economic benefits of UPFs and plastics interact to co-produce a range of direct and indirect harms. We caution that the chemical dimension of these harms is underappreciated, with thousands of plastic FCCs known to migrate into foodstuffs. Some of these are hazardous and have been detected in humans and the broader environment, while many are yet to be adequately tested. We question whether policies on both UPF and plastic chemicals are fit for purpose when production and consumption of these products is adding to the chronic chemical exposures that plausibly contribute to the increasing global burden of non-communicable diseases. In the context of ongoing negotiations for a legally binding global treaty to end plastics pollution, and rapidly growing concern about the burgeoning share of UPFs in diets worldwide, we ask: What steps are needed to call time on this toxic relationship?
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Among the crises engulfing the world is the symbiotic rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and plastics. Together, this co-dependent duo generates substantial profits for agri-food and petrochemical industries at high costs for people and planet. Cheap, lightweight and highly functional, plastics have ideal properties that enable business models to create demand for low-cost, mass-produced and hyper-palatable UPFs among populations worldwide, hungry, or not. Evidence linking UPF consumption to deterioration in diet quality and higher risk of chronic diseases is well-established and growing rapidly. At the same time, the issue of plastic food contact chemicals (FCCs) is receiving increasing attention among the human health community, as is the generation and dispersion of micro- and nanoplastics.
MAIN BODY
METHODS
In this commentary, we explore how the lifecycles and shared economic benefits of UPFs and plastics interact to co-produce a range of direct and indirect harms. We caution that the chemical dimension of these harms is underappreciated, with thousands of plastic FCCs known to migrate into foodstuffs. Some of these are hazardous and have been detected in humans and the broader environment, while many are yet to be adequately tested. We question whether policies on both UPF and plastic chemicals are fit for purpose when production and consumption of these products is adding to the chronic chemical exposures that plausibly contribute to the increasing global burden of non-communicable diseases.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
In the context of ongoing negotiations for a legally binding global treaty to end plastics pollution, and rapidly growing concern about the burgeoning share of UPFs in diets worldwide, we ask: What steps are needed to call time on this toxic relationship?
Identifiants
pubmed: 39449069
doi: 10.1186/s12992-024-01078-0
pii: 10.1186/s12992-024-01078-0
doi:
Substances chimiques
Plastics
0
Types de publication
Journal Article
Letter
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
74Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
Références
GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2019;393:1958–72.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8
GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020;396:1223–49.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30752-2
Anastasiou K, Baker P, Hadjikakou M, Hendrie GA, Lawrence M. A conceptual framework for understanding the environmental impacts of ultra-processed foods and implications for sustainable food systems. J Clean Prod. 2022;368: 133155.
doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133155
Kesse-Guyot E, et al. Environmental impacts along the value chain from the consumption of ultra-processed foods. Nat Sustain. 2023;6:192–202.
doi: 10.1038/s41893-022-01013-4
Touvier M, et al. Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait. BMJ. 2023;383: e075294.
pubmed: 37813465
pmcid: 10561017
doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075294
Srour B, et al. Ultra-processed foods and human health: from epidemiological evidence to mechanistic insights. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022;7:1128–40.
pubmed: 35952706
doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00169-8
Popkin BM, Corvalan C, Grummer-Strawn LM. Dynamics of the double burden of malnutrition and the changing nutrition reality. The Lancet. 2020;395:65–74.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32497-3
Baker, P. et al. Ultra‐processed foods and the nutrition transition: Global, regional and national trends, food systems transformations and political economy drivers. Obesity Reviews obr.13126 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13126 .
Mertens E, Colizzi C, Peñalvo JL. Ultra-processed food consumption in adults across Europe. Eur J Nutr. 2022;61:1521–39.
pubmed: 34862518
doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02733-7
Wood B, et al. What is the purpose of ultra-processed food? An exploratory analysis of the financialisation of ultra-processed food corporations and implications for public health. Glob Health. 2023;19:85.
doi: 10.1186/s12992-023-00990-1
Gearhardt AN, et al. Social, clinical, and policy implications of ultra-processed food addiction. BMJ. 2023;383: e075354.
pubmed: 37813420
pmcid: 10561019
doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075354
da Silva Júnior AE, Gearhardt AN, Bueno NB. Association between food addiction with ultra-processed food consumption and eating patterns in a Brazilian sample. Appetite. 2023;186: 106572.
pubmed: 37085018
doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106572
Lacy-Nichols J, Marten R, Crosbie E, Moodie R. The public health playbook: ideas for challenging the corporate playbook. Lancet Glob Health. 2022;10:e1067–72.
pubmed: 35623376
pmcid: 9197808
doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00185-1
Gilmore AB, et al. Defining and conceptualising the commercial determinants of health. The Lancet. 2023;401:1194–213.
doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00013-2
Lane MM, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384: e077310.
pubmed: 38418082
pmcid: 10899807
doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-077310
Gearhardt AN, DiFeliceantonio AG. Highly processed foods can be considered addictive substances based on established scientific criteria. Addiction. 2023;118:589–98.
pubmed: 36349900
doi: 10.1111/add.16065
Fazzino TL, Jun D, Chollet-Hinton L, Bjorlie K. US tobacco companies selectively disseminated hyper-palatable foods into the US food system: Empirical evidence and current implications. Addiction. 2024;119:62–71.
pubmed: 37682074
doi: 10.1111/add.16332
Heindel JJ, et al. Obesity II: Establishing causal links between chemical exposures and obesity. Biochem Pharmacol. 2022;199: 115015.
pubmed: 35395240
pmcid: 9124454
doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115015
Sellem L, et al. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2023;382:e076058.
pubmed: 37673430
pmcid: 10480690
doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076058
Salame C, et al. Food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes: analysis of data from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2024;12:339–49.
pubmed: 38663950
doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00086-X
Statista. Topic: Plastics industry worldwide. Statista https://www.statista.com/topics/5266/plastics-industry/ (2023).
OECD. Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2022. https://doi.org/10.1787/aa1edf33-en .
Yates J, et al. A systematic scoping review of environmental, food security and health impacts of food system plastics. Nature Food. 2021;2:80–7.
pubmed: 37117403
doi: 10.1038/s43016-021-00221-z
Food contact materials | EFSA. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/food-contact-materials (2023).
Monteiro CA, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutr. 2019;22:936–41.
pubmed: 30744710
pmcid: 10260459
doi: 10.1017/S1368980018003762
Dörnyei, KR. et al. Sustainable food packaging: An updated definition following a holistic approach. Front Sustain Food Syst. 2023;7.
Chakori S, Aziz AA, Smith C, Dargusch P. Untangling the underlying drivers of the use of single-use food packaging. Ecol Econ. 2021;185: 107063.
doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107063
Hawkins G. The skin of commerce: governing through plastic food packaging. Journal of Cultural Economy. 2018;11:386–403.
doi: 10.1080/17530350.2018.1463864
OECD. Towards Eliminating Plastic Pollution by 2040. A Policy Scenario Analysis. Interim Findings. https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/Interim-Findings-Towards-Eliminating-Plastic-Pollution-by-2040-Policy-Scenario-Analysis.pdf (2023).
Dalmijn J, Glüge J, Scheringer M, Cousins IT. Emission inventory of PFASs and other fluorinated organic substances for the fluoropolymer production industry in Europe. Environ Sci: Processes Impacts. 2024;26:269–87.
Deeney M, et al. Global Health Impacts of Addressing the Plastic Pollution Crisis: A Life Cycle Approach. SSRN Scholarly Paper at. 2023. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4629311 .
doi: 10.2139/ssrn.4629311
United Nations Environment Programme. From Pollution to Solution: A Global Assessment of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution. 2021.
Tan J, Tiwari SK, Ramakrishna S. Single-Use Plastics in the Food Services Industry: Can It Be Sustainable? Mater Circ Econ. 2021;3:7.
doi: 10.1007/s42824-021-00019-1
Geueke B, et al. Systematic evidence on migrating and extractable food contact chemicals: Most chemicals detected in food contact materials are not listed for use. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63:9425–35.
pubmed: 35585831
doi: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2067828
Ong H-T, Samsudin H, Soto-Valdez H. Migration of endocrine-disrupting chemicals into food from plastic packaging materials: an overview of chemical risk assessment, techniques to monitor migration, and international regulations. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022;62:957–79.
pubmed: 33081493
doi: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1830747
Grob, K. et al. European legal limits for migration from food packaging materials: 1. Food should prevail over simulants; 2. More realistic conversion from concentrations to limits per surface area. PVC cling films in contact with cheese as an example. Food Control 18, 201–210 (2007).
Groh KJ, et al. Overview of known plastic packaging-associated chemicals and their hazards. Sci Total Environ. 2019;651:3253–68.
pubmed: 30463173
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.015
Zimmermann L, et al. Implementing the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability: The case of food contact chemicals of concern. J Hazard Mater. 2022;437:129167.
pubmed: 35897167
doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129167
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Science and Policy - Emily N. Hilz, Andrea C. Gore, 2023. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322231196794 .
Liu R, Mabury SA. Unexpectedly high concentrations of 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol in human urine. Environ Pollut. 2019;252:1423–8.
pubmed: 31265952
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.06.077
Schreier VN, et al. Evaluating the food safety and risk assessment evidence-base of polyethylene terephthalate oligomers: A systematic evidence map. Environ Int. 2023;176:107978.
pubmed: 37210807
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107978
Buckley JP, Kim H, Wong E, Rebholz CM. Ultra-processed food consumption and exposure to phthalates and bisphenols in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2014. Environ Int. 2019;131:105057.
pubmed: 31398592
pmcid: 6728187
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105057
Baker BH, et al. Ultra-processed and fast food consumption, exposure to phthalates during pregnancy, and socioeconomic disparities in phthalate exposures. Environ Int. 2024;183:108427.
pubmed: 38194756
pmcid: 10834835
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108427
Steele EM, Khandpur N, Louzada ML, Monteiro CA. Association between dietary contribution of ultra-processed foods and urinary concentrations of phthalates and bisphenol in a nationally representative sample of the US population aged 6 years and older. PLOS ONE. 2020;15:e0236738.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236738
Naspolini NF, Machado PP, Moreira JC, Asmus CIRF, Meyer A. Maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods and newborn exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Cad Saúde Pública. 2021;37:e00152021.
pubmed: 34877989
doi: 10.1590/0102-311x00152021
Wagner, M. et al. State of the Science on Plastic Chemicals - Identifying and Addressing Chemicals and Polymers of Concern. https://zenodo.org/records/10701706. 2024. 10.5281/zenodo.10701706.
Milne MH, et al. Exposure of U.S. adults to microplastics from commonly-consumed proteins. Environment Poll. 2024;343:123233.
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123233
Leslie HA, et al. Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood. Environ Int. 2022;163:107199.
pubmed: 35367073
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107199
California State Policy Evidence Consortium (CalSPEC). Microplastics Occurrence, Health Effects, and Mitigation Policies: An Evidence Review for the California State Legislature. https://uccs.ucdavis.edu/calspec/2022-research-topic (2023).
Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. Policy Brief: Waste Management. Ikhapp https://ikhapp.org/material/policy-brief-waste-management/ 2023.
Geueke B, Phelps DW, Parkinson LV, Muncke J. Hazardous chemicals in recycled and reusable plastic food packaging. Cambridge Prisms: Plastics. 2023;1:e7.
Brown E, MacDonald A, Allen S, Allen D. The potential for a plastic recycling facility to release microplastic pollution and possible filtration remediation effectiveness. J Hazard Mater Advan. 2023;10:100309.
Center for Climate Integrity. The Fraud of Plastic Recycling: How Big Oil and the Plastics Industry Deceived the Public for Decades and Caused the Plastic Waste Crisis. 2024. https://climateintegrity.org/plastics-fraud .
Strong & Guther, L. S., Max. The Delusion of “Advanced” Plastic Recycling. ProPublica https://www.propublica.org/article/delusion-advanced-chemical-plastic-recycling-pyrolysis (2024).
New Greenpeace Report Calls Out Toxic Hazards of Recycled Plastic as Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations Resume in Paris - Greenpeace USA. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/new-greenpeace-report-calls-out-toxic-hazards-of-recycled-plastic-as-global-plastics-treaty-negotiations-resume-in-paris/ 2023.
Cowger W, et al. Global producer responsibility for plastic pollution. Sci Advan. 2024;10:eadj8275.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adj8275
Tearfund. The Burning Question: Will Companies Reduce Their Plastic Use? (2020).
FAO. The State of Food and Agriculture 2023: Revealing the True Cost of Food to Transform Agrifood Systems. (FAO, Rome, Italy, 2023). https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7724en .
Trasande L, Krithivasan R, Park K, Obsekov V, Belliveau M. Chemicals Used in Plastic Materials: An Estimate of the Attributable Disease Burden and Costs in the United States. J Endoc Soc. 2024;8:bvad163.
doi: 10.1210/jendso/bvad163
Deeney M, Yates J, Green R, Kadiyala S. Centring human health in the global plastics treaty: a call to action. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7: e011040.
pubmed: 36375851
pmcid: 9664311
doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011040
Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastic Treaty. Response to the Revised Zero Draft. https://ikhapp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-Scientists-Coalitions-response-to-the-Revised-Zero-Draft-rZD-Text.pdf (2024).
‘A line in the sand’ – Global Commitment to eliminate plastic pollution at the source. UN Environment http://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/line-sand-global-commitment-eliminate-plastic-pollution-source 2018.
Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Outnumber National Delegations, Scientists, and Indigenous Peoples at Plastics Treaty Negotiations. Center for International Environmental Law https://www.ciel.org/news/fossil-fuel-and-chemical-industry-influence-inc4/ .
Food Packaging Market Size, Share, Trends & Growth [2030]. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/food-packaging-market-101941 .
Clapp, J. Concentration and crises: exploring the deep roots of vulnerability in the global industrial food system. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2022.2129013 1–25 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2022.2129013 .
FAO & WHO. Sustainable Healthy Diets: Guiding Principles. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789241516648 2019.
Slater S, Lawrence M, Wood B, Serodio P, Baker P. Corporate interest groups and their implications for global food governance: mapping and analysing the global corporate influence network of the transnational ultra-processed food industry. Glob Health. 2024;20:16.
doi: 10.1186/s12992-024-01020-4
UNICEF. NICEF GHAI Webinar 1 - Industry Interference Summary of Key Points and Resources. 2022.
Knai, C. et al. The case for developing a cohesive systems approach to research across unhealthy commodity industries. BMJ Global Health. 2021;6.
Schäffer A, et al. Conflicts of Interest in the Assessment of Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution. Environ Sci Technol. 2023;57:19066–77.
pubmed: 37943968
pmcid: 10702428
doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04213
Plastics Industry Association. Plastic Packaging is Vital to Reducing Food Insecurity. This Is Plastics https://thisisplastics.com/safety/plastic-packaging-is-vital-to-reducing-food-insecurity/ (2021).
Plastics Industry Association. Farm to Table: Five Ways Plastics Help to Feed the World. This Is Plastics https://thisisplastics.com/environment/farm-to-table-five-ways-plastics-help-to-feed-the-world/ 2022.
Recycling • Plastics Europe. Plastics Europe https://plasticseurope.org/sustainability/circularity/recycling/ (2024).
Plastics Industry Association. Bioplastics. Bioplastics http://www.plasticsindustry.org/who-we-serve/recycling-sustainability/bioplastics/ (2024).
Policy Brief: Impacts of plastics across the food system. Ikhapp https://ikhapp.org/material/policy-brief-impacts-of-plastics-across-the-food-system/ .
Zimmermann L, Dombrowski A, Völker C, Wagner M. Are bioplastics and plant-based materials safer than conventional plastics? In vitro toxicity and chemical composition. Environ Int. 2020;145:106066.
pubmed: 32951901
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106066
Gerassimidou S, Martin OV, Chapman SP, Hahladakis JN, Iacovidou E. Development of an integrated sustainability matrix to depict challenges and trade-offs of introducing bio-based plastics in the food packaging value chain. J Clean Prod. 2021;286:125378.
doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125378
Jolliet, O. Integrating Dietary Impacts in Food Life Cycle Assessment. Front Nutr. 2022;9.
Bless A, Davila F, Plant R. A genealogy of sustainable agriculture narratives: implications for the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture. Agric Hum Values. 2023;40:1379–97.
doi: 10.1007/s10460-023-10444-4
Schneider KR, et al. The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030. Nat Food. 2023;4:1090–110.
pubmed: 38114693
pmcid: 10730405
doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00885-9
Tobias DK, Hall KD. Eliminate or reformulate ultra-processed foods? Biological mechanisms matter Cell Metabolism. 2021;33:2314–5.
pubmed: 34699743
Muncke J, et al. A vision for safer food contact materials: Public health concerns as drivers for improved testing. Environ Int. 2023;180:108161.
pubmed: 37758599
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108161
Official Journal of the European Union. Communication from the Commission – Guiding Criteria and Principles for the Essential Use Concept in EU Legislation Dealing with Chemicals. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/90926c62-0365-11ef-a251-01aa75ed71a1/language-en (2024).
Bǎlan SA, et al. Optimizing Chemicals Management in the United States and Canada through the Essential-Use Approach. Environ Sci Technol. 2023;57:1568–75.
pubmed: 36656107
pmcid: 9893722
doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05932
Nguyen KH, Glantz SA, Palmer CN, Schmidt LA. Tobacco industry involvement in children’s sugary drinks market. BMJ. 2019;364:l736.
pubmed: 30872273
pmcid: 6890456
doi: 10.1136/bmj.l736
Erzse A, Karim SA, Foley L, Hofman KJ. A realist review of voluntary actions by the food and beverage industry and implications for public health and policy in low- and middle-income countries. Nat Food. 2022;3:650–63.
pubmed: 37118592
doi: 10.1038/s43016-022-00552-5
Millstone E, Lang T. An approach to conflicts of interest in UK food regulatory institutions. Nat Food. 2023;4:17–21.
pubmed: 37118579
doi: 10.1038/s43016-022-00666-w
Share Action. Shareholders file health resolution at Nestlé. ShareAction https://shareaction.org/news/shareholders-file-health-resolution-at-nestlé (2024).