On February 24, 2026, civil society organization Greenpeace International published a report on plastic food packaging releasing chemicals and micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs).
Titled “Are we cooked? The hidden health risks of plastic-packaged ready meals”, the report reviewed recent peer-reviewed publications, including data from the Food Packaging Forum, that studied the release of potentially harmful chemicals and plastic particles from ready meals designed to be heated in the packaging.
What did they find?
The findings are clear. The intended use of plastic food packaging, including ready meals and takeout containers, lead to the release of plastic chemicals and MNPs into food or food simulants (FPF reported). This is the case even for articles labeled as microwave- or oven-safe. Critically, this release of chemicals and MNPs is even more pronounced when plastics are heated up.
The authors highlight the chemical complexity of plastic food packaging. While there are thousands of known intentionally added substances that may leach out of the packaging into food, there are potentially even more non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) that can end up in food. These are often unknown and thus missing any data on their health effects. Even most of the known substances lack robust health data.
The relationship between plastics and ultra-processed foods
Going hand in hand with plastic food packaging, especially ready meals, are ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Previous research discussed how UPFs and plastics are interconnected (FPF reported). “Heating plastic-packed UPFs adds migrating endocrine disruptors, oligomers, and microplastics to an already nutritionally empty meal,” the report reads, “UPFs and plastics together drive chronic disease, fossil fuel dependence, and planetary harm.”
What can be done?
To conclude, Greenpeace calls on the precautionary principle. An ever-growing body of scientific evidence shows that plastic food packaging causes significant societal costs across its entire life cycle. “Governments have enough information to take urgent action to prevent the plastic crisis from getting worse,” the authors state. They compare plastic pollution to asbestos, tobacco, and lead, where action was repeatedly delayed “by sowing seeds of doubt about the science.”
Recommendations for policy makers made in the report include regulating hazardous plastic chemicals based on their intrinsic hazards instead of on a risk assessment with safe levels, prioritizing action on known and well-studied harmful substances such as endocrine disruptors, enacting rules on misleading labels such as “microwave-safe”, and banning single-use plastic packaging in favor of reusable and inert alternatives.
Reference
Greenpeace International (February 24, 2026) “Are we cooked? The hidden health risks of plastic-packaged ready meals.” (pdf).
