This report was commissioned by the Nordic Platform for Reduced Food Loss and Waste and produced by the Swedish Food Agency. The Nordic Platform for Reduced Food Loss and Waste and its activities are financed by and operate under the Nordic Council of Ministers for fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, food, and forestry.
In light of ongoing regulatory developments within the European Union regarding the ambitions to reduce the use of plastic packaging material for fruits and vegetables, there is a need for information to inform early discussions and coordination efforts in the Nordics.
The purpose of this report is to examine how shelf life and food safety may be affected by the absence or presence of plastic (or other) packaging for fruits and vegetables under typical retail conditions.
The primary target audience comprises authorities, policymakers and stakeholders involved in food waste prevention, packaging policy and sustainable food systems, particularly within the Nordic context.
Jakob Ottoson and Jonas Toljander are responsible for the content of the report. Both are risk assessors at the Unit for Biological Hazards at the Department of Risk and Benefit Assessment.
The report has been scientifically reviewed by Mats Lindblad at the Unit for Food Hygiene, Roland Lindqvist at the Unit for Biological Hazards and Christina Lantz, head of Unit for Biological Hazards.
Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket)
Helena Brunnkvist
Head of Division for Risk- and Benefit Assessment, risk assessment manager
March 2026