Call for data on unprocessed fresh produce packaging

EFSA-Q-number: EFSA-Q-2025-00456
Published: 16/12/2025
Deadline for submission of EU Survey: 30/01/2026

Background

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) received a request for a scientific opinion to be considered by the European Commission in the future development of guidelines on the implementation of point 2 of Annex V of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on Packaging and Packaging Waste that focusses on phasing out the single use plastic packaging for less than 1.5 kg prepacked fresh fruit and vegetables. To ensure a comprehensive assessment, EFSA launches a public call for data from interested parties. EFSA will then consider the relevance of the information provided for the risk assessment. The submission of the requested information is without prejudice to the final opinion of the unit Panel. The mandate can be consulted in Open EFSA (M-2025-00078).

The objective of such guidelines will be to list exemptions from the restriction of use of single-use plastic packaging due to water loss, turgidity loss, microbiological hazards or physical shocks, or oxidation. The assessment should be limited to packaging in standard (and not modified) atmosphere, also to “unprocessed” fresh fruits and vegetables. Paper-based packaging containing more than 5% is included in the ban. All aspects related to chemical hazards in packaging materials are out of scope of this mandate.

More specifically, EFSA is requested to estimate impacts related to microbial (foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms) cross-contamination, survival, and/or growth due to the ban of the use of single use plastic packaging for unprocessed fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs (FVH). The impacts should be estimated by assessing various packaging scenarios that are used during distribution and retail of unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables weighting less than 1.5 kg, in comparison to a situation of non-packaging, namely (a) use of single-use plastic packaging and (b) use of alternative packaging materials, such as wooden and cardboard crates/boxes/bags with less than 5% plastic. If this assessment would indicate that there could be an increase or decrease in exposure of consumers to foodborne pathogens, or an effect in the spoilage of the commodities packaged, EFSA should identity and rank the risk factors responsible.

Overall objective

The purpose of this call for data is to offer interested parties (e.g., food business operators, national food authorities, research institutions, academia) and/or other stakeholders, the opportunity to submit documented information relevant to the request for a scientific opinion to be considered by the European Commission in the future development of guidelines on the implementation of point 2 of Annex V of Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on Packaging and Packaging Waste.

Specific objectives

In particular, EFSA is looking for information on

• the most common way of offering fresh unprocessed FVH commodities and the reasons for portion packaging
• the main plastic and/or alternative packaging systems used for portions of less than 1.5 kg of unprocessed fresh FVH commodities
• the potential limitations or drawbacks of alternative packaging material in comparison to plastic packaging in terms of the microbiological quality and/or safety of the selected commodities
• the handling practices across the supply chain when shifting to bulk or alternative packaging to ensure microbial safety/quality and/or to protect them from mechanical damage
• the microbiological hazards and spoilage microorganisms that are most relevant for the safety and quality of the selected fresh unprocessed FVH commodities and the factors influencing microbiological contamination or growth

Data sought and data submission format

EFSA kindly invites interested parties to submit information as outlined in the EU Survey questionnaire EU Survey. In case of confidential data, interested parties shall submit the confidential data through the tool Submission Builder Portalino (see section “CONFIDENTIALITY” for details).

Upon opening the EU Survey, instructions are provided on how to complete the questionnaire and interested parties are guided through a series of questions related to the specific objectives of this call. Please note that the EU Survey can be submitted only once. We recommend reviewing your answers carefully before finalising your submission. The EU Survey tool permits saving a draft of your replies before submitting. The final replies to the questions are sent by clicking on the SUBMIT button.

Deadline for submission of data

Interested parties and stakeholders should submit data by 30/01/2026 by filling out the questionnaire in the EU Survey.

Confidentiality

In order to comply with requirements for proactive transparency, EFSA must, inter alia, make public the information on which its scientific outputs are based, as outlined in Article 38(1)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, the “General Food Law” (GFL) and Article 6(1)(i) of EFSA’s Practical Arrangements concerning transparency and confidentiality (“EFSA’s Practical Arrangements”). Information/data received in the context of the present call are subject to the afore-mentioned proactive transparency requirements insofar as they will constitute information on which scientific outputs, including scientific opinions, are based.

However, in accordance with Articles 39-39e of the GFL, confidential status may be awarded to information the disclosure of which might potentially harm the information owner to a significant degree. Provided that the conditions set out in Articles 39-39e and further detailed in EFSA’s Practical Arrangements are satisfied, EFSA must not make public any information/data for which confidential treatment has been requested and duly justified, pending its confidentiality assessment where urgent action is essential to protect human health, animal health or the environment.

How to submit confidential information/data

Interested parties claiming confidentiality should submit the information/data in electronic format exclusively via the tool Submission Builder Portalino. Submission of confidential information/data in any other form (email, third party e-submission platforms, etc) will not be accepted. Information regarding what can be claimed confidential can be found in the User Guide on Confidentiality. Information on how to use Portalino and submit confidentiality requests is available in the User guide on Portalino.

Please note that Personal Data (e.g.  name and surname, email address, business address)will be hidden automatically by EFSA without the need to request a confidentiality treatment through Portalino.

In case your information/data includes Confidential Business Information (e.g. commercial links to producers, information revealing sourcing, market shares or business strategy, private studies), these parts of your information/data may be requested to be treated as confidential using the Portalino tool.

Confidentiality can be granted given that:

1. The information falls within the scope of the closed list of information items listed in the Annex to EFSA’s Practical Arrangements;
2. The confidentiality request is accompanied by a verifiable justification that demonstrates how a public disclosure of the information/data for which confidential status is requested would harm your interests to a significant degree.
3. When claiming confidentiality for your information/data, both a non-confidential (public dissemination) and a confidential version of the information/data must be submitted. A separate confidentiality request must be submitted for each document and for each legal ground under which information is claimed confidential. A precise description of the information/data claimed confidential must be provided to enable a clear identification. Information/data claimed confidential must be earmarked in the confidential version and redacted in the non-confidential version.

When submitting confidentiality claim via Portalino, please clearly state the following:

• In the Subject of the submission: Call for data on Unprocessed fresh produce packaging -EFSA-Q-2025-00456
• The contact details (name of contact person, name of company/organisation, e-mail address and telephone number) of the person responsible for the data submission and, if applicable, the list of other interested parties represented and their contact details.

Correspondence

Please address any enquiries to RAL [at] efsa.europa.eu using Call for data on Unprocessed fresh produce packaging-EFSA-Q-2025-00456 in the title of the email.