It ain’t gouda news.
A study out of Italy found that nearly all dairy products contain microplastics — and there are way more in cheese than in regular old milk.
But not all cheese is created equal: Some varieties have more particles than others.
Researchers at the University of Padua analyzed 28 dairy samples including milk and several cheeses and discovered microplastics in all but two of them.
The most common kinds of microplastics were PET, polyethylene and polypropylene, which are often found in food packaging — but the authors note that that’s not the only way plastic might be seeping in.
In fact, it could be contaminating dairy well before it’s ever packaged up in cartons or wrappers.
Some possible sources they suggest include feed, milking equipment or clothing at the farm level; clothing and protective gear in processing plants; and processing machinery, transportation, and storage.
And the type of dairy you choose can make a big difference in how many microplastics you’re ingesting.
Milk was found to have just 350 particles per kilogram — way less than the over 1,000 particles per kilogram found in cheese.
And fresh cheese is less contaminated than ripened cheese, with just 1,280 particles per kilogram compared to ripened’s 1,857 particles per kilogram.
Fresh cheese is made from fresh curds that have not been pressed or aged. That includes varieties like mozzarella, ricotta, burrata, feta, mascarpone, cream cheese, cottage cheese, paneer and queso blanco.
Ripened cheese, meanwhile, is aged or matured. Examples include cheddar, gouda, gruyere, camembert, parmesan and blue cheese like gorgonzola.
But why should you care if you’re eating microplastics? Research on the subject is still early, but studies have linked microplastics in the body to a host of health issues.
They’ve been found to interfere with blood sugar levels, damage the liver, adversely impact mental health, trigger chronic inflammation, damage cells, disrupt hormones and even mess with the bacteria in our guts.
Exposure has been linked to such troubling issues as cancer, infertility, heart disease and lung conditions.
If you want to reduce your intake, experts suggest ditching plastic water bottles, boil and filter your tap water, get rid of plastic cutting boards, and stop microwaving leftovers in plastic containers.
