The present study aims to assess the diet quality, the relationship between diet quality and lifestyle, and the association of diet quality with body mass index and students’ field of study during COVID-19 lockdown periods (spring and winter) in 2020. Datasets were collected via an anonymous online self-reported questionnaire distributed during two time periods using social media. A total of 1939 Croatian students (82.4% women and 17.6% men) completed the questionnaire. Diet quality was assessed using the pro-healthy diet index (pHDI) and non-healthy diet index (nHDI). An increase in diet quality was noted during both lockdown periods but was lower during the winter lockdown. Cooking for oneself was associated with a high level of pHDI, while ordering or buying ready-to-eat food was linked to a low level of pHDI. Additionally, a decrease in screen time and increased physical activity was associated with high pHDI values. Furthermore, during both lockdown periods, students with a BMI above 30 kg/m² had the highest nHDI values compared to other students. Although positive changes were found during both lockdown periods, they were less pronounced throughout the winter lockdown. Further studies are needed to elucidate the real impact of these changes in the post-COVID period.

Growing concern over the presence of microplastics in food has led to the development of numerous methods for their extraction and analysis. However, many of these methods are time-consuming and limited to specific food types. In this study, we present a novel and quick approach involving microwave-assisted acid extraction of microplastics from food, followed by Raman microscopy analysis. The method’s performance was evaluated through determination of its digestion efficiency, particle mass and number recovery, limit of detection (LOD), and the digestion protocol’s effect on polymer physicochemical characteristics. The extraction protocol achieved 99.74–100.01% digestion of four different food matrices within 2 h, with 81.4–110.7% mass and 80–108% number recoveries of added polymer particles, both being within the 80–120% range. Importantly, DSC, TGA, DLS and Raman analyses of added particle polymers showed no significant change in PE, PP and PTFE polymer structure, while some structural changes were found for PET and PMMA. This method’s good analytical performance, high throughput and suitability for quick digestion of several different food matrices make it a promising step towards reliable monitoring of microplastics in food.