Beverages sold in glass bottles contain far more microplastics than the same drinks packaged in plastic or metal, according to an investigation released on 20 June 2025 by France’s food-safety regulator ANSES. The agency analysed water, sodas, iced tea, lemonade, beer and wine sold nationwide and found a mean of about 100 plastic particles per litre—between five and 50 times the levels measured in plastic bottles or cans. The disparity was most pronounced in carbonated and sweetened drinks: soft drinks averaged roughly 30 particles per litre, lemonade about 40 and beer around 60. Bottled water showed lower counts, at 4.5 particles per litre in glass versus 1.6 in plastic, while wine samples contained only trace amounts. The study covered more than a hundred commercial products and screened particles down to 1 micrometre in size. Researchers led by PhD student Iseline Chaib linked the contamination primarily to the coloured paint that coats metal caps on glass bottles. Polymer fingerprints and colours of the fragments matched those of the cap coatings, and microscopic scratches suggested the particles are released as caps rub against each other during transport and storage. A trial cleaning step that blows air over caps and then rinses them with water and alcohol cut released particles by about 60 %. ANSES said no regulatory limit exists for microplastics in food and drinks and added that current toxicological data are too sparse to declare the measured concentrations a direct health threat. Even so, the agency urged beverage producers to adopt cap-cleaning procedures and to explore alternative closure materials. The findings add to mounting evidence of pervasive microplastic exposure, including separate recent research that has detected plastic fragments in human tissues.