Salt you buy in local markets in Samar, Philippines might have tiny pieces of plastic in it — up to 36 little plastic bits in every 250-gram bag.

What we've found so far suggests that table salt sold in local markets in Samar, Philippines may contain microplastics. Our analysis of the available evidence shows that there could be up to 36 microplastic particles in a 250-gram bag of salt [1]. We reviewed 20 supporting assertions and found no studies that refute this [1]. The evidence we’ve analyzed specifically points to salt from local markets in Samar as a potential source of microplastic exposure. These tiny plastic fragments are not visible to the naked eye and may come from environmental pollution during production, packaging, or storage. While we don’t yet know how this compares to salt from other regions or commercial brands, the presence of microplastics in this specific context is consistently reported in the data we’ve gathered so far. Our current analysis does not tell us about long-term health effects, if any, from consuming these levels of microplastics. We also don’t have data on how widespread this issue is across different types of salt or regions beyond Samar. But based on what we've reviewed so far, the evidence leans toward the presence of low levels of microplastics in locally sold table salt in this area. We recognize that microplastics are a growing concern in food systems, and salt is just one potential route of exposure. Since our findings are based on limited data focused on one location, we can’t say how this applies to other areas or products. More research would help us understand the full picture. Practical takeaway: If you're buying table salt from local markets in Samar, it might contain tiny plastic particles. How much this affects health over time isn’t clear from the evidence we’ve reviewed so far.