Microplastics detected in rice

Microplastics have been detected in rice, a new study has found.

Australian researchers found instant rice has the highest plastic content of all the varieties but there is a way to drastically reduce how much you ingest.

"All of our samples regardless of the packaging it came in had some levels of plastic," Dr Jake O'Brien from the University of Queensland told 9News.

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Researchers found a 100 gram serve of regular, uncooked rice contained three to four milligrams of microplastics.

While instant rice, which undergoes more processing, had up to 13 milligrams.

The packaging is one source of contamination but there are other ways the microscopic plastic fragments enter the rice.

"In the processing of the rice before it gets put into a bag or while it's being grown so agricultural processes," Dr O'Brien said.

Microplastics have also been found in things like shellfish, beer, and salt. Another recent study estimated we each consume a credit card worth every week.

"At this stage we don't know about any health implications from ingesting microplastics via food consumption but we do know that where there is exposure there is some form of risk," Dr O'Brien added.

One way to reduce the amount of microplastics by 20-40 per cent is to wash it before it is cooked.