Printed flexible film for food packaging

A food packaging film having sufficient flexibility so that it can be supplied in the form of a long continuous sheet rolled up upon itself and then unwounded from the roll for wrapping different food items by hand, the food packaging film comprising

• a flexible film substrate made from a material exhibiting a better resistance to penetration by oxygen and water vapor than paper selected from the group consisting of synthetic resins, metal foils, and naturally occurring film forming resins which are at least one of degradable, biodegradable and compostable, the flexible film substrate having a pair of opposed major faces, and a printed image on at least one major face, and
• a barrier coating covering the printed image, the barrier coating comprising a water vapor-impermeable, organic-origin, food compatible film forming material having a resistance to permeation by water vapor at room temperature which is at least 50% of that of refined bleached shellac and an oxygen impermeability of at least 50% of that of refined bleached shellac as determined by the time it takes the open flesh of a cut apple section coated with the material to develop a noticeable brown color through oxidation.