[Source: SGSD/ Facebook]

Local researchers have gathered that there is a huge accumulation of microplastics in seafood consumed by people in Fiji and around the region.

United Nations Development Program Resident Representative, Munkhtuya Altangerel, states that global statistics indicate there will be more plastics in our oceans than fish by 2050.

Altangerel adds that apparently only about six percent of the world’s plastics are recycled, and the remaining 94 percent is present in our ecosystems.

The UNDP resident rep states that people are unknowingly consuming microplastics with almost every meal.

“A local researcher in Fiji found that in staple foods like mussels, the freshwater mussels, there are a lot of already accumulated microplastics, and that is terrifying. You know, this is the food that we consume, as well as our children, you know, who are our future.”

Altangerel says plastics have become an addiction to many due to their convenience.

She adds that there is a need for mindset change at the household level because it is an addiction and a convenience for many.

Non-governmental organizations are calling for suitable policies at the macroeconomic level that reflect policy changes and implementation, as currently the biggest plastic producers in the world last year received almost $30 billion of subsidies to sustain production around the globe.