There’s plastic in chewing gum.
If you didn’t know that your chewy, pliable minty gum gets made with synthetic rubbers and plastics, you aren’t alone. As part of its plastic-free gum launch, UK-based supermarket chain Iceland commissioned a study that found 85% of UK respondents were unaware that chewing gum had plastic in it.
The US FDA allows multiple natural and synthetic substances to get labeled as “gum base,” which, admittedly, sounds innocuous until you start poking under the ingredients hood. Though the constituents of gum base are unique to each type of chewing gum, it can include synthetic materials such as butadiene-styrene, petroleum wax, polyethylene plastic, and polyvinyl acetate. You can also find those same materials in plastic bags, shoe soles, and glue.
