During the webinar “Oltre l’etichetta: ricerca, sostenibilità e innovazione”, APPEAL presented its latest results on edible, compostable and traceable labels designed to reduce plastic waste, improve food safety and support innovation in the agri-food sector.

On 11 May 2026, the APPEAL project held the online webinar “Oltre l’etichetta: ricerca, sostenibilità e innovazione”, dedicated to the role of research, sustainability and innovation in the future of agri-food labelling.

The event was an opportunity to present the latest results achieved by the project and to discuss how a small component such as a fruit and vegetable label can contribute to wider challenges in packaging, waste management, food safety and supply chain transparency.

*Find the complete webinar agenda here.

The webinar opened with an introduction to the APPEAL project and its objectives, followed by a contribution on the new challenges for food packaging introduced by the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. This provided the broader regulatory context in which sustainable, compostable and circular solutions are becoming increasingly relevant for the agri-food sector.

A central part of the event was dedicated to the research results developed within APPEAL. The project is working on a new generation of edible and compostable labels for fruit and vegetables, designed to reduce the environmental impact of conventional labelling, support cleaner organic waste management and provide new tools for traceability and product authentication along the supply chain.

The labels developed within the project are based on plant-derived ingredients and matrices made from polysaccharides and pectin, also recovered from by-products of apple processing. This approach reflects a circular bioeconomy perspective, transforming agri-food side streams into functional materials for sustainable labelling applications.

The webinar also addressed the safety and gastrointestinal behaviour of the labels. APPEAL labels were subjected to in vitro biological testing, including analyses of cytotoxicity, inflammatory response, oxidative stress and potential effects on DNA. The results showed high biocompatibility and no critical signals of cellular damage, genotoxicity or immunotoxicity, including after simulated digestion.

Another contribution focused on the physical, biological and functional performance of the labels. Consorzio Melinda tested the prototypes in real application conditions, obtaining encouraging results in terms of mechanical resistance, adhesion even under critical humidity conditions, and promising performance in biodegradability and compostability.

The discussion also explored the connection between compost, circular bioeconomy and the need to reduce contamination in organic waste streams. In this context, edible and compostable labels can help address a practical but widespread issue: conventional fruit and vegetable labels may end up in the organic waste fraction or be accidentally ingested by consumers.

Beyond sustainability and safety, APPEAL also addresses traceability and authentication. The label is designed with different levels of information access: public data that can be read by consumers via smartphone, authenticity checks enabled through UV light, and more advanced or reserved information accessible to operators through dedicated optical tools. This structure supports transparency, product authentication and anti-counterfeiting functions across the agri-food value chain.

The webinar highlighted how APPEAL brings together materials science, food safety, circular economy and digital traceability to rethink the role of labels in the fresh produce sector. Rather than being only a tool for product identification, the label can become part of a more sustainable, safer and more transparent agri-food system.

*The full recording of the webinar is available here for those who wish to watch the discussion.

The next step for the project will be to continue working with partners to support the industrial scalability of the technology and explore its future market application.