A recent study by researchers from Universidad de Antioquia, University of Exeter, and the Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences (CEMarin) reveals an unexpected finding: crabs are capable of fragmenting plastic into nanoplastics within just a few weeks.
While faster breakdown might sound like good news (given that sunlight and waves can take years to fragment plastic), researchers warn there’s a catch: these microscopic particles can move into crab tissue and enter the food chain.
Nanoplastics are:
▪️ Harder to detect
▪️ Easier to spread
▪️ More likely to accumulate in the seafood we eat
Microplastics have already been found in species such as black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey and pink shrimp. Emerging research suggests potential implications for human digestive, respiratory and immune health.
Southeast Asia tops global rates of microplastic ingestion, with recent studies highlighting Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam as hotspots. Individuals in Indonesia have been estimated to ingest up to 15 grams of microplastics per month, primarily through seafood (OECD).
The bigger question for all of us in food, sustainability and policy:
If plastic can move this quickly from waste to wildlife to our plates – are we moving fast enough on solutions?
For more on the study: https://www.foodandwine.com/fiddler-crabs-turn-microplastics-into-nanoplastics-11908532
About the Author
Irene Gomez is co-head at cmXp2, specializing in strategic communications and advocacy for the food, health, agriculture, agri-food and aquaculture sectors. Full Bio
About cmXp2
cmXp2 (“Xp2”) is a strategy advisory firm dedicated to supporting organizations in high-regulated sectors, specifically: Food & Nutrition, Agriculture & Agri-Food/Aquaculture, Life Sciences, and Global Banking & Markets, Institutional & Corporate Banking. For organizations in these sectors, Xp2 helps them navigate complex and dynamic regulatory, legal and ethical parameters to define and execute strategies that generate meaningful value, shape opinions, enhance reputation and drive market impact. Our senior partners’ deep sector leadership expertise across these high-regulated sectors is well-placed to help clients succeed. Xp2 is a division of the award-winning Corporate Media Services Pte Ltd (CorpMedia) that has over 32 years of experience. The firm is headquartered in Singapore and serves the Southeast Asia region.
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