Contamination of Baby Foods by Plastic Additives: A Pilot Screening Study

Despite the fact that food production and processing may involve various appliances and materials containing plastic additives (PAs), potential food contamination by a variety of PAs has not been sufficiently investigated, particularly in baby foods. In this study, we screened for a total of 245 legacy and emerging PAs in representative baby foods (n = 70), including formulas, cereals, vegetable/fruit purees, and meat products. Total concentrations of sigma PAs ranged from 3.86 to 9580 ng/g (median of 194 ng/g), and 47 PAs were detected in >50% of the samples, among which 16 were detected for the first time in baby foods. Non-phthalate ester plasticizers exhibited the highest abundances (median of 52.7 ng/g), followed by phthalate esters (46.1 ng/g), organophosphate esters (8.20 ng/g), synthetic antioxidants (8.15 ng/g), ultraviolet stabilizers (1.56 ng/g), bisphenols (0.51 ng/g), and parabens (0.04 ng/g). Food categories and the types of packaging materials appeared to influence the levels and compositional profiles of PA contamination. The estimation of daily intake suggested a low risk of dietary exposure. However, the high complexity of PAs detected in baby foods raises concern about the exposure to an increasing list of industrial chemicals, due to potential cocktail effects, limited knowledge of biological effects of emerging substances, and exposure from additional sources.

Automated summary

This study investigated the presence of plastic additives (PAs) in baby foods and found a total of 245 potential PAs. Among these, 47 PAs were detected in over 50% of the samples, with 16 being detected for the first time in baby foods. The type of food category and packaging material appeared to affect the levels and composition of PA contamination. While the estimated daily intake suggested a low risk, the complexity of PAs detected in baby foods raises concerns about potential cocktail effects, limited knowledge on the biological effects of emerging substances, and exposure from other sources.