Amsterdam — New research commissioned by Greenpeace International has found microplastics in baby food sold in plastic pouches by two of the world’s largest food companies, Nestlé and Danone, raising urgent concerns about the products marketed for babies.

The report,  Tiny Plastics, Big Problem: The Hidden Risks of Plastic Pouches for Baby Food detailed the laboratory testing of popular baby food brands, Nestlé’s Gerber and Danone’s Happy Baby Organics, where microplastic particles were found in every sample analyzed. The test conducted also suggests that a range of chemicals were present in both the packaging and the food. [1] This suggests that the plastic packaging itself may be a source of contamination, potentially exposing babies to thousands of microscopic plastic fragments with every pouch consumed.

Graham Forbes, Global Plastics Campaign Lead from Greenpeace USA, said:

“This study is a wake-up call for parents everywhere, who trust these brands to put their kids first. Plastic-dependent companies like Nestlé and Danone owe families a clear answer: what are they doing to eliminate microplastics and chemicals from the products they sell to babies?”

Key findings are:

• For every gram of baby food tested, researchers found up to 54 microplastic particles in Gerber pouches and up to 99 particles in Happy Baby Organics pouches, on average. That’s equivalent to as many as 270 (Gerber) and 495 (Happy Baby Organics) microplastics per teaspoon. 
• The study estimated a total of more than 5,000 in each Gerber pouch and more than 11,000 particles in each Happy Baby Organics pouch. 
• The study also identified a range of plastic-associated chemicals present in both the packaging and the food, including the presence of a potential endocrine disruptor in the Gerber samples tested. 
• The study suggests a link between polyethylene, the plastic the pouches are lined with, and some of the microplastics found in the baby food tested. 

Plastic squeeze pouches have rapidly become the dominant packaging format for baby food worldwide, driven by aggressive marketing and a lack of options. It is the fastest-growing form of packaging at 8.18% year on year up to 2031, making up 37.15% of 2025 global market by volume, exceeding all other forms of packaging, including traditional glass jars. Today, millions of these single-use pouches are purchased daily, meaning that millions of babies could be ingesting microplastics alongside their food. Babies may be particularly vulnerable to such exposures due to their rapidly developing organs and higher intake of food relative to body weight.

This trend is part of a broader surge in plastic production and use, much of it driven by major consumer goods companies. Packaging alone accounts for around 40% of global plastic production. One of its fastest-growing segments is flexible, multilayer plastics like baby food pouches and sachets, which are notoriously difficult to recycle and a major source of pollution in some regions.

Nestlé and Danone have repeatedly ranked among the world’s top plastic polluters in global brand audits conducted by the Break Free From Plastic movement.

Greenpeace is calling on Nestlé, Danone, and all baby food producers to urgently investigate their products, prove they are not putting young children at risk of exposure, and commit to phasing out plastic packaging in favor of non-toxic, plastic-free, reusable alternatives.

As governments negotiate the UN Global Plastics Treaty, Greenpeace is demanding negotiators act with urgency to ban these products, reduce plastic production and end uncontrolled and unregulated plastic and chemical contamination that threatens human health.

“Plastic pollution is not just wrecking our environment, it’s entering our bodies, starting from infancy. How our food is packaged is designed for profit, not for people’s health. Cutting plastic production and eliminating harmful chemicals is essential to protect human health, especially the health of our children,” Forbes said.

ENDS

Note: 

[1] The study was conducted by SINTEF Ocean in Norway in 2025 and commissioned by Greenpeace International. It tested three pouches each of two baby food products, Nestlé’s Gerber brand yoghurt puree and Danone’s Happy Baby Organics brand fruit puree. Products were analyzed as sold (not heated).

Photos can be accessed in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Contacts:

Angelica Carballo Pago, Global Plastics Campaign Media Lead, Greenpeace USA, angelica.pago@greenpeace.org , +63 917 1124492

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org 

It’s been less than 20 years since baby food in plastic pouches first appeared on supermarket shelves. Since then, these convenient and popular “squeeze-and-suck” products have become the dominant packaging for baby food, transforming the way that millions of babies are fed around the world. But emerging evidence raises concerns that big food brands are feeding our children plastic pollution with unknown consequences, by selling baby food in flexible plastic packaging.  

Testing commissioned by Greenpeace International in 2025 found plastic particles in the baby food products of two global consumer goods companies – Danone and Nestlé. The study suggests a link between the type of plastic the pouches are lined with – polyethylene – and some of the microplastics found. Tests also suggest a range of plastic-associated chemicals in the packaging and food of both products.

Download the reports:

Tiny Plastics, Big Problem: The Hidden Risks of Plastic Pouches for Baby Food

Technical Report: Analysis of microplastics and chemicals in
infant food

New York, United States – The United Nations General Assembly voted with overwhelming support to adopt a landmark resolution led by Vanuatu and 12 other countries which will advance implementation of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on climate change and state responsibility, today.

The resolution passed with 141 votes in favour, 8 against and 28 abstentions. The outcome formally reaffirms the Court’s findings and calls on governments to align their policies with their legal obligations to limit global warming to 1.5°C – including by delivering deep, rapid and sustained emissions cuts, regulating fossil fuel companies, and protecting the right to a healthy environment. The resolution also requests the UN Secretary-General submit a report in 2027 on how to advance compliance with all obligations in relation to the Court’s findings – ensuring that pressure and scrutiny on governments will be sustained to deliver their legal obligations.[1]

Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific, Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “The world has followed the Pacific’s lead. Vanuatu and Pacific nations have once again shaped the global climate agenda, turning the voices of frontline communities into international action.”

“Governments can no longer ignore their legal responsibilities while backing the expansion of the fossil fuel industry. Pacific communities have fought for this moment because we are already living with the consequences of the climate crisis, and we will continue fighting until there is a fast, fair and funded phase-out of fossil fuels. This outcome is for the realisation of human rights of current and future generations to experience a life of dignity and to stand proudly on the righteous legacies of the past.”

Rebecca Newsom, Global Political Lead, Greenpeace International said: “The world’s highest court made clear that climate action is an irrefutable legal obligation, and today’s outcome shows that governments are increasingly committed to taking action to reflect that reality.”

“Voted for by the vast majority of the world’s governments, this resolution urges a just transition away from fossil fuels less than a month after a coalition of 57 countries gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, to reiterate their commitment to ending coal, oil and gas dependence. The political momentum is clearly growing.” 

“Governments must now translate this resolution into tangible roadmaps to equitably phase out fossil fuel exploitation, production and consumption. The transition should be funded by higher taxes on the world’s biggest corporate and ultra-rich polluters to pay for their climate damages, alongside Global North countries’ international climate finance obligations. The era of fossil fuel companies making billions while communities face climate disasters and rising living costs must end.”

In July 2025, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion outlining that states have legal obligations under international law to take urgent, equitable action to protect the climate system, including through emissions reduction, international cooperation, holding corporate polluters to account, and preventing climate harm.[2]

The UNGA resolution is expected to strengthen the political and legal weight of the Advisory Opinion across international negotiations, national policymaking, and climate litigation, while increasing pressure on governments to align their actions with their obligation to  limit global warming to 1.5°C.

ENDS

Notes

[1] Greenpeace Media statement: World’s highest court delivers historic protections for climate-impacted communities 

[2] A Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels: Greenpeace Policy Briefing 

Contact

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org