The world is contaminated with plastics (phthalates, bisphenols). They are everywhere. In the air we breathe, the water we drink, the clothing we wear, the food we eat. And in our brains, sex organs and blood. They are inescapable.  While the science of their health risks is still emergent, we are erring on the side of thinking that plastics are not part of a healthy diet.

Nat Friedman did the world a huge favor, conducting the largest and most comprehensive assessment of phthalates and bisphenols in common foods. His report provided quantitative concentrations in foods, creating a baseline to assess the significance of the problem.

Right now, the world is largely blind to where the microplastics are coming from. We know they end up in our bodies, but what are the sources and how much does each source contribute?  Microplastics testing has lagged other testing infrastructure, such as heavy metals, creating a blindspot for everyone.

Zero Plastic is a coalition of organizations from all over the world working together to eliminate plastics (phthalates, bisphenols) from our global food supply. This is not something that any one country or company can accomplish on their own. In order to be successful, we will need to rebuild our entire food system including farming, processing, transporting, preparing, manufacturing, packaging and preparing.  We need new non-plastic materials, manufacturing methods, and testing systems. 

Such a complicated ecosystem problem can only be solved with representation from every stage of the food supply chain. This is not going to be a quick fix. The current global food supply chain was built with plastic and it will take us years to rebuild.