Microplastics could threaten UK food security, report warns
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Published
01 September 2026
Urgent action is needed to tackle microplastic pollution in the UK, amid growing evidence of widespread contamination across the environment, food chain and human body, according to a new parliamentary report informed by evidence from University of East London (UEL) researchers.
The report, Tackling Microplastic Pollution in the UK, was launched today in Parliament by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Microplastics at the House of Commons, in collaboration with the Women’s Institute and Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth.
It warns that the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils could pose a growing threat to food security and calls for legally binding targets and a coordinated national strategy to reduce pollution. Over the next five years, experts outline five priority areas of action:
- Establish a clear UK policy framework with legally binding targets and coordinated leadership.
- Regulate the largest sources of microplastic releases through upstream product and design measures.
- Strengthen producer responsibility and economic incentives to reduce releases across the plastics lifecycle.
- Improve wastewater, sewage sludge and soil protections to reduce major leakage pathways.
- Build a coordinated national monitoring and evidence system to support regulation, evaluate progress and inform future policy.
Image Credits: Anne-Marie Bickerton + The WI
Dr Ria Devereux, Environmental Research Fellow at UEL's Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), is one of the experts who submitted evidence to the report, drawing on her longstanding research into microplastic pollution.
Dr Devereux said:
Microplastic pollution is no longer just an environmental issue. These particles are being found throughout the food chain, while their accumulation in agricultural soils raises important questions about the long-term health of our soils and food security. We need a more coordinated approach to reducing pollution at source, alongside better monitoring to understand how microplastics are moving through the environment.”
While seafood is the most significant food source to carry microplastics, the report shows that particles have been detected across the wider food chain, including meat, fruit, vegetables, milk, and drinking water. Tyres, synthetic textiles, personal care products, paints, plastic pellets, fireworks, wastewater systems, packaging, and agricultural plastics are among the major sources of microplastic pollution.
Dr Devereux’s work has focused on microplastic pollution in the River Thames. She is currently leading a new study building on more than three years of monitoring, to assess how pollution levels are changing, and what impact climate pressures may be having on the river system.
Dr Elizabeth Westhead, Senior Lecturer in Bioscience and Research Affiliate of the SRI, was also invited to attend the parliamentary launch for the report. An ecologist by training, Dr Westhead has more than 25 years’ research experience in freshwater ecology and algal biotechnology. She leads UEL’s interdisciplinary Microplastics Research Group, which examines the environmental and health impacts of micro- and nanoplastic pollution.
Dr Westhead said:
Microplastic pollution is not simply a problem of visible plastic waste. Once released into the environment, these tiny particles can transit through the air, our rivers, soils, plants, and organisms. On transition, they break down into smaller nano-sized particles that are more difficult to detect and monitor. Their lighter weight enhances their transport through ecosystems. These can also be inhaled and ingested easily, and penetrate cells. The evidence is increasingly clear that we need to monitor the sources and understand how they are accumulating and moving through the environment, if we are to prevent further pollution. This report is an important step in bringing together the evidence and highlighting the need for action at source.”
Image Credits: Anne-Marie Bickerton + The WI