Produce and Agricultural Packaging Netting

Produce packaging netting provides ventilation, visibility, and containment for fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, and meat products from harvest through retail display. Raschel-knitted HDPE or PP tubular netting (mesh aperture 5–25 mm, yarn diameter 0.3–1.0 mm, basis weight 15–40 g/m², roll width 100–600 mm, bag capacity 500 g–25 kg) is the dominant format at 65% market share for citrus, onion, garlic, avocado, and shellfish. Air permeability of 3,000–8,000 L/m²/s (ISO 9237) ensures adequate produce respiration preventing CO₂ accumulation and anaerobic spoilage — open mesh structure reduces postharvest loss by 15–25% versus sealed PE bag packaging for respiring commodities. Colour coding (red for oranges, yellow for lemons, white for garlic, green for avocado) serves as point-of-sale visual communication and variety differentiation at retail. Biodegradable produce netting (cotton mesh, jute twine net, or PLA biopolymer raschel at 15–25 g/m², EN 13432 compostability, degradation >90% in 180 days) addresses microplastic contamination from conventional HDPE netting estimated at 3–8 g microplastic per tonne of HDPE packaging entering food waste streams. Stretch netting (elastane-core covered PA or PET yarn, elongation 150–300%) provides form-fitting containment for irregular-shaped products and primary packaging for poultry carcasses in meat processing (1.5–3.0 million bags/day at large poultry processors). Global produce netting market exceeds $850 million.