This month, an urgent Early Day Motion (EDM 1771) was tabled in Parliament, demanding that manufacturers stop hiding plastic in chewing gum and that the government acts to protect young people’s health from the 250,000+ microplastics released into the body, from every single piece.
And right at the heart of it? Nuud is leading the campaign, joining forces with Wera Hobhouse MP and the inspiring youth ambassadors from Kids Against Plastic to shine a light on a harmful truth the big brands have concealed for decades: most gum is made of plastic.
The hidden poison in your chew
Behind the shiny packs and “fresh breath” promises, so-called “regular” gum is packed with synthetic plastics, all buried under the catch-all term gum base. We’re talking about the same materials found in car tyres, bottles and even glue.
Every chew leaches microplastics into your saliva, which are then swallowed and absorbed into your body. Scientists are now finding these particles in our blood, brain, lungs and even placentas. This isn’t just pollution, it’s poisoning us from the inside out.
What Parliament is calling for
The motion, tabled by Wera Hobhouse MP and backed by a growing number of cross-party MPs, demands:
-
Clear labelling of plastic ingredients in gum.
-
Stronger protections for young people, who are targeted most aggressively by Big Gum marketing.
-
Urgent action to stop gum being an invisible source of microplastic poisoning and pollution.
Why Nuud & KAP are stepping up
For us at Nuud, this isn’t just politics, it’s our mission. We’ve built a gum that proves you can have all the chew without the microplastics. Now we want lawmakers to hold our industry accountable.
Alongside our partner Kids Against Plastic, we’re amplifying the voices of young ambassadors who refuse to inherit a poisoned planet and unknowingly ingest microplastics from chewing gum. KAP have been on the frontlines of plastic campaigning for years, and now they’re taking on Big Gum with us, calling out a hidden health hazard in a product sold in every grocery store nationwide.
How You Can Act!
We’re proud to be spearheading this movement alongside Wera Hobhouse MP and Kids Against Plastic. But real change only happens when enough of us refuse to be poisoned by plastic.
👉 Sign the petition
👉 Write to your MP to support EDM 1771
👉 Choose plastic-free gum. Chew plants not plastic with Nuud.
The government must act. The industry must change. And together, we can make sure the next generation grows up free from plastic gum.
