Developing Eco-Friendly Compostable Produce Labels

Several countries important to U.S. agricultural exports recently enacted legislation requiring price look-up labels on produce to be certified for home composting. That is, the labels themselves that are applied to fruits and vegetables must be compostable. The challenge for developers is designing a compostable label that can effectively stick to the produce and not slide off during processing, transportation, and storage.

ARS researchers in Albany, CA, collaborated with the produce industry to develop a food-safe, compostable adhesive formulation that addresses a key coating issue of uneven spreading on the back of the labels. This formulation was lab tested on a variety of produce and met the requisite standards. Research results will help U.S. fruit and vegetable exporters meet the more stringent international standards.

Related Information

Research Project: Alleviating Specialty Crop Export Barriers to France with Home Compostable Stickers

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Topic

Nutrition, Food Safety & Quality