Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of microplastics in food; and what steps they are taking to investigate this.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to monitor and assess emerging information concerning microplastics in food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the Food Standards Agency and other government departments, and is currently considering the issue of microplastics, having previously concluded that the available data was not sufficient for a complete assessment. The FSA has advised that, based on current information, they consider it is unlikely that the presence of these particles in food or drink would cause harm to consumers. However, this will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available.