Plastics at all levels of production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food systems has led to complex problems at the intersection of food security, public health, and sustainability in the environment, particularly in agriculture and food packaging. The contact of food-grade plastics with food raises the risks of chemical shifts, cross-contamination with micro- and nano-plastics, and other pathways to exposure. Emerging evidence implicating MNPs in endocrine disruption and other ecological harm, immune dysfunction, and developmental toxicity necessitates public health action. Fragmented legislation, a lack of understanding of the health risks of ambient low concentrations of environmental plastics, and the pollution, health effects, and absence of targeted research on MNPs all contribute to inaction on the growing problems lack of research and understanding. Closing these knowledge gaps will require interdisciplinary research including the other disciplines of social innovation for sustainable materials design, advanced methods of detection, mechanistic toxicology, and scaffolded MNP and ecosystem ecology. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for targeted new investments in research, new policies, and collaboration to study these issues. Another could involve resolving plastic pollution from a systems perspective, which leads to safe food, healthier people, and a better working ecosystem.