here has been a significant increase in the development of edible films and coatings inrecent times, and this is expected to have a significant impact on the quality of fruit and vegetables inthe coming years. Consumers expect fresh fruit and vegetables free from pesticide residues, withhigh quality, nutritional value and an extended shelf life. The application of coatings and ediblefilms to fruits and vegetables represents an environmentally friendly approach to an innovativesolution to this problem. Coatings and edible films can act as ecological and biodegradable packaging.The coating strategy involves a combination of natural biopolymers and appropriate preservationmethods. The article presents the applicability, trends and perspectives of polysaccharide coatingsand edible films and their impact on the quality of fruit and vegetables, providing an understandingof their main functions and benefits. Numerous studies show that natural polysaccharides are wellsuited for use as packaging material for fresh fruit and vegetables and can often be an importantalternative to synthetic compounds. Natural polymer materials are a good barrier to oxygen andcarbon dioxide; however, they are characterised by excessive solubility in the water environment,water vapour permeability and low extensibility. The properties of edible coatings can be modifiedby the addition of plasticisers, surfactants, cross-linkers, antimicrobial agents, functional additives,nanosilver particles or fruit and vegetable residues. The use of an electric field is also a promisingtechnology here. The use of polysaccharides for the preparation of edible films and coatings isjustified not only by the possibility of reducing the consumption of packaging made of syntheticpolymer materials but also by the fact that the production of some natural polymers can be madeusing waste products generated during the processing of food raw materials.