DATA AND METHODOLOGY

Data sources

Similar commissions have been undertaken in other European Union Member States, including Spain (AESAN, 2023) and Belgium (OVAM, 2024), and these have provided valuable information for the present report. Apart from that, EFSA has published opinions on microbiological hazards in food of non-animal origin including fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and herbs identifying the most important combinations of hazards and produce (EFSA, 2013, EFSA, 2023). Additionally, a scientific literature search was conducted according to Table 1 with the intent of finding relevant literature reviews on the topic. This search was complemented by explorative searches and snowballing.

Table 1. Literature search strategy. Searches were performed on 3 December 2025 and repeated on 25 February 2026.

Database	Search terms	# results	# selected full texts
PubMed	("shrink wrap"[Title/Abstract] OR "shrink film"[Title/Abstract] OR "cling film"[Title/Abstract] OR "plastic wrap"[Title/Abstract] OR "plastic packaging"[Title/Abstract]) AND (spoilage[Title/Abstract] OR "shelf-life"[Title/Abstract]) AND (fruit[Title/Abstract] OR vegetable[Title/Abstract])	30	1
FSTA	TI ("shrink wrap" or "shrink film" or "cling film" or "plastic wrap" or "plastic packaging") and (spoilage or "shelf-life") and (fruit or vegetable) OR AB ("shrink wrap" or "shrink film" or "cling film" or "plastic wrap" or "plastic packaging") and (spoilage or "shelf-life") and (fruit or vegetable)	150	1
Google Scholar	vegetable fruit spoilage review "shrink wrap" OR "shrink film" OR "cling film" OR "plastic wrap" OR "plastic packaging”	5120*	2

*The first 100 results in Google Scholar were assessed.

Methods

The grouping of products was done according to EFSA (Table A1 in the appendix) since it has further been used for the hazard prioritisation in a more recent opinion considering water used post-harvest for fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and herbs (EFSA, 2023). Information was gathered for the products concerning key parameters/purposes for packaging, namely (i) mechanical damage (ii) prevent water loss or loss of turgidity, (iii) ethylene sensitivity and (iv) microbiological hazards and spoilage microbiota, which are compiled in Table 2.

The Belgian report (OVAM, 2024) was machine translated using the European Commission’s eTranslation service . Artificial intelligence was used to assist in summarising and editing text while writing this report. All content has been reviewed and edited by the authors.

Scope and limitations

The scope of the report is restricted to conventional primary packaging solutions used at the point of sale, plastic or other. Advanced packaging technologies such as actively modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), passive modified atmosphere packaging (PMAP), packaging systems, ethylene scavengers, and active absorbers are not analysed in depth.

This report does not provide a detailed assessment of which specific packaging types are most suitable for individual fruit and vegetable products. Some information on recommended storage conditions and packaging approaches for selected commonly consumed products is compiled in Table A2.

The report does not constitute a comprehensive systematic review. It should instead be regarded as an overview intended to clarify how packaging may influence key deterioration mechanisms and food safety under practical retail conditions. An extensive scientific assessment is expected to be addressed in future work by EFSA.