A popular yogurt product was pulled from Canadian shelves over worries that it could contain plastic pieces.
What's happening?
Late last month, Yoplait announced a voluntary recall of some of its Yop drinkable yogurts, as The Canadian Press reported via CBC News.
On its website, Yoplait said the recall was a precaution after the company found a defect within a packaging component that could lead to plastic ending up in the drink. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has since taken the lead in this recall.
The recall affected all 200 milliliter bottles of the drinkable yogurt, with best-by dates ranging from Oct. 21 to Jan. 12.
"The health and well-being of Canadians is our top priority," Yoplait stated.
Why is plastic contamination concerning?
Since plastic is ubiquitous in food packaging, it's no surprise that such recalls have become commonplace.
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In recent weeks, a number of products were recalled in the United States because of possible plastic contamination. These include prepared pulled pork sandwiches, Caesar salads and chicken sandwiches, and whitefish spread. Ireland also initiated a recall on desiccated coconut.
But more than that, plastic pollution is one of humanity's most pressing issues.
The amount of plastic produced each year in the U.S. is over 100 times higher now than it was in 1960. And less than 10% of that is properly recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, meaning that most of it ends up in landfills and oceans.
The United Nations estimates that 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic end up in waterways every day. And microplastics are now found seemingly everywhere, including in human brains.
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Yes 👍 What can I do about plastic in food?
If you have one of the drinks in question, you should return it to the store from which it was purchased or discard it.
This recall serves as a reminder that using less plastic is not only beneficial to your health but also to the planet. And this can be done in a number of simple ways.
Start by replacing single-use water bottles and grocery bags with reusable versions, ditch your plastic food containers, and bring your own to-go containers to restaurants, all of which lower the chances that plastic will find its way into your next meal.
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