therefore water loss of the produce thereby reducing and or delaying dehydration which manifests itself in the produce as shriveling and reduction of size of the produce or wrinkling of the skin on the produce in the present invention it was found that a the polyvinylidene emulsions used had the best results if the emulsions resulted in dried films having gas transmissions in the following ranges for oxygen the range was 1 to 100 cm3 um m2 day bar at 25 u00b0 c and 85 relative humidity with the most preferred range being 10 80 cm3 um m2 day bar at 25 u00b0 v and 85 relative humidity for water vapor the range was 1 50 g um m2 day at 38 u00b0 c and 90 relative humidity with 10 30 g um m2 day at 38 u00b0 c and 90 relative humidity being preferred the polyvinylidene chloride copolymers used in the present invention can be any of the following polyvinylidene chloride co acrylic acid methyl acrylic acid vinyl chloride vinyl acetate methyl methacrylate propylene ethylene acrylates styrene 39 s or any combination of the above mention monomers which form the copolymer composition to achieve the objects and advantages of the invention and to provide an emulsion that forms a thin continuous film on the surface of the post harvest produce that extends the shelf life of the.