KNOW THIS: 90% of table salt brands contain microplastics.

WHY? Because of widespread plastic pollution in our seas.

What can I do about it? Switch to Himalayan salt.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet, because it really doesn’t need much explanation, however it’s really important that you’re aware of the fact that the salt you’re sprinkling on your food, probably contains plastic.

Researchers from South Korea and Greenpeace East Asia analysed 39 salt brands from 21 countries around the world, including the U.S., China and Europe, and 90% of these were contaminated with the plastic fragments.

Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm long, and are unfortunately polluting our seas at a vast rate. We’ve all heard how plastic is affecting marine life, but now it’s clear that it’s affecting our health too. As most salt is produced from evaporated sea water, we are consequently ingesting the plastics that we are responsible for polluting our seas with.

Microplastics levels were highest in sea salt, followed by lake salt and then rock salt, and the density of microplastics found in salt varied dramatically among different brands, but those from Asian brands were especially high, as Asia is a hot spot for plastic pollution.

However if you want to avoid microplastics in your salt altogether, opt for Himalayan salt, as it comes from ancient geological oceans, which don’t have the same levels of pollution as salts extracted from the world’s oceans today. It has a saltier flavour than table salt, meaning that you can use less salt to achieve the same taste – which is great, as we all know that too much salt is bad for you. It’s also tastier, due to the trace minerals it contains, such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, which also give it its light pink hue – and make it look cool in your salt grinder!

So now you have good reason to part with your hard earned cash on millennial pink salt, it’s just a shame that there is a reason at all.