FULL TRANSPARENCY
Yes, the pouch is plastic. Instead of pretending that doesn't matter, here's the honest data on microplastics — what's in our chicken, what's in the things you already eat and drink every day, and the research behind every number.
Context is everything
Microplastics are in almost everything we eat. A 2024 study in Environmental Pollution tested 16 commonly-consumed protein products and found microplastics in 88% of all samples — including fresh-caught fish and minimally-processed meats. The same study found that minimally-processed proteins like plain chicken breast carried the lowest counts of any protein tested (Milne et al., 2024, Environmental Pollution — read the study).
A single serving of our chicken carries roughly 8–10 microplastic particles. The comparison table above shows what that means next to everyday staples — and every figure in it comes from a peer-reviewed study listed below.
Not all plastics are the same
“Plastic” covers everything from industrial PVC to the food-grade films used in medical and food packaging. Our pouch is a food-grade multilayer film designed specifically for in-pouch cooking: the food-contact layer is an inert polymer that does not react with food at our cooking temperature.
Microplastic shedding mostly comes from mechanical stress (screwing caps, crushing, friction) and high heat. Our pouch is sealed once, cooked gently at 63°C — far below the retort temperatures (121°C+) used for canned and shelf-stable foods — and never opened until it reaches you.
The standards our packaging meets
- FSSAI — Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, which govern food-contact materials in India (regulation text).
- EU 10/2011 — the European Union regulation on plastic materials intended to come into contact with food, including overall and specific migration limits (full regulation).
- US FDA 21 CFR §177.1520 — the American standard for olefin polymers used in food packaging (code text).
On top of regulatory compliance, our chicken is third-party lab tested (ICAR–NMRI) — the same testing claim printed on every pouch.
The numbers, with sources
- Bottled water: a study of 259 bottles across 9 countries found an average of 325 microplastic particles per litre, with some bottles exceeding 10,000 (Mason et al., 2018, Frontiers in Chemistry — study). When nanoplastics are counted, the number rises to roughly 110,000–370,000 particles per litre (Qian et al., 2024, PNAS — study).
- Plastic tea bags: a single plastic tea bag releases about 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into one cup (Hernandez et al., 2019, Environmental Science & Technology — study).
- Table salt: a global survey of commercial food-grade salts found up to thousands of particles per kilogram, with sea salt the most affected (Kim et al., 2018, Environmental Science & Technology — study).
- Milk: branded milks average around 6–7 particles per litre (Kutralam-Muniasamy et al., 2020, Science of the Total Environment — study).
- Proteins in general: across seafood, chicken, beef, pork and plant-based proteins, microplastics were found in 88% of samples; highly-processed products carried significantly more than minimally-processed ones (Milne et al., 2024, Environmental Pollution — study).
Why bottled water is so high
Every twist of a plastic cap grinds plastic against plastic, and the water sits in contact with the bottle for weeks under changing temperatures. That constant friction and long contact time is exactly what our packaging avoids: the pouch is filled, sealed and cooked once, then stays cold until you open it.
Why our chicken is so low
- One seal, no re-handling. The chicken goes into the pouch raw and comes out only in your hands. No grinding, no caps, no refills.
- Gentle 63°C cook. Sous-vide pasteurises the chicken at a precise low temperature — hot enough for full food safety, far below the temperatures where polymer migration accelerates (Baldwin, 2012, International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science — review).
- Zero preservatives needed. The sealed pouch is the preservation. That's why the ingredient list is chicken, marinade, and nothing else.
Our promise
We'll keep publishing what we know, including the uncomfortable parts. As better food-safe materials become commercially viable, we'll switch — and we'll tell you when we do. If you have a question this page doesn't answer, ask us directly.
