Flexible pouch or laminate sachet
High releaseMulti-layer plastic and foil laminate
The short answer
Worse than the can it often replaces. Food sits directly against a polymer layer and the whole sealed assembly is then heat-sterilised, combining direct contact with the most migration-favourable moment in production.
What actually drives release
- Direct food contact with an inner polymer layer
- Retort processing applied after sealing
- Very high surface-area-to-volume ratio
When it gets worse
- Contents are oily, such as pouched tuna
- Heated in the pouch, as with rice and baby food pouches
- Baby and toddler food, where intake per kilogram of body weight is highest
Better options
- Glass jar
- Lined can
- Home-prepared from fresh
Where you'll find it
Pouched tunaBaby food pouchesInstant riceSaucesPet food
Scan what you actually buy
Packaging changes the answer more than the brand does. Scan your product with MicroPlastics for a 0–100 exposure score and a lower-plastic version of the same thing.
Scan my productFrequently Asked Questions
Do food pouches leach microplastics?
Worse than the can it often replaces. Food sits directly against a polymer layer and the whole sealed assembly is then heat-sterilised, combining direct contact with the most migration-favourable moment in production.
What makes flexible pouch or laminate sachet worse?
Contents are oily, such as pouched tuna. Heated in the pouch, as with rice and baby food pouches. Baby and toddler food, where intake per kilogram of body weight is highest.
What should I use instead of flexible pouch or laminate sachet?
In order of preference: Glass jar, Lined can, Home-prepared from fresh. Packaging is usually the cheapest variable to change in any product decision.
Sources
- Earth Action with rePurpose Global (2026). Microplastic migration from food and beverage packaging (reported May 2026). Forbes.
- Qian N, Gao X, Lang X, et al. (2024). Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
- Winkler A, Santo N, Ortenzi MA, et al. (2022). Does mechanical stress cause microplastic release from plastic water bottles?. Water Research.
- Hernandez LM, Xu EG, Larsson HCE, et al. (2019). Plastic teabags release billions of microparticles and nanoparticles into tea. Environmental Science & Technology.