Sea salt from Europe often has tiny plastic bits in it — on average about 466 pieces per kilo, but it can vary a lot between brands, from as low as 74 to over a thousand pieces per kilo.

What we've found so far is that microplastics are present in European sea salt, with levels varying across brands. On average, we’ve seen reports of about 466 microplastic particles per kilogram of sea salt, though some brands have as few as 74 and others over 1,000 particles per kilo [1]. Our analysis of the available research shows that all the evidence we’ve reviewed so far supports the presence of microplastics in European sea salt [1]. We did not find any studies that refute this. The data comes from 39 supporting assessments, all pointing to the same pattern: sea salt contains small plastic fragments, likely from ocean pollution. These particles are too small to see with the naked eye and are thought to enter the salt during the evaporation process used in production. We don’t yet know how much this variation between brands is due to differences in sourcing, processing, or packaging. What we can say is that the levels are not consistent — some salt has far more microplastics than others. This suggests that where and how the salt is made may influence contamination levels. Our current analysis does not allow us to determine health effects from consuming these particles. We’re also not able to say whether newer brands or production methods have reduced contamination, since our data is limited to what has been studied so far. The evidence we’ve reviewed leans toward microplastics being a common feature in European sea salt, but we emphasize that this is a snapshot of what we know now — not a final conclusion. Practical takeaway: If you use sea salt regularly, it’s likely you’re consuming small amounts of microplastics, but the amounts can differ depending on the brand.