Traceability as a tool for identification of microplastic pollution and healthy food in the Goro lagoon

Coastal lagoons are ecologically and socio-economically important because they provide valuable services. In Italy, the lagoon of Goro (Ferrara) is characterised by numerous shellfish farms, where the most cultivated species are clams. However, these environments are subject to various pressures, both natural, such as variations in temperature, nutrients and salinity, and artificial, such as the pollution caused by microplastics. Contamination of the sediments and thus of the animals reared on the sandy seabed is possible. As microplastics are an emerging contaminant and there is no limit to the amount of microplastics found in livestock, it is important to track the movement of livestock from seed to sale. Software is being developed to digitise all the steps along the supply chain, allowing consumers to know the origin of the produce, whose quality is judged by the amount of microplastics found in the sediments and in the animals. The result will be an assessment not only of the quality of the product, but also of the level of pollution in the lagoon where the clams have been farmed.