## 1 Introduction  
The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a member of the _Coronaviridae_ family whose genome is a single-stranded RNA molecule [1]. The spread of SARS-CoV-2 in humans occurs mainly by air due to sneezing, coughing, and exhaling, or via contaminated surfaces and objects, although these seem to be less important in sustaining viral diffusion [2]. However, consumers have raised concerns about the possibility of transmission through food or its packaging. Different risk assessments have been carried out by food safety agencies to determine whether food or food contact materials represent a significant risk to food safety in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has excluded the possibility of transmission of the virus through the digestive tract; however, the possibility that the respiratory tract could become infected during the ingestion of contaminated food or water cannot be completely excluded. An infected person can contaminate food by handling it with dirty hands or through droplets from coughing or sneezing. Like other known coronaviruses, this virus is sensitive to heat treatment and cooking temperatures above 60 \({}^{\circ}\)C. Indeed, exposure of foods to 63 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 4 min (used for the preparation of hot food in collective catering) has been shown to be sufficient to inactivate the virus [3]. Hence, SARS-CoV-2 represents a risk factor, especially for fresh food consumed without prior cooking, for which good manufacturing practices are the only way to prevent contamination. Regarding the persistence of the virus on the surface of packaging materials, an analysis of 23 scientific studies revealed that some human coronaviruses can persist on metal, glass, or plastic for anywhere from a few hours up to nine days, depending on the material [4]. Therefore, the accidental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 of the external surfaces of the materials used for the packaging, processing, and handling of food (equipment and tools) represents a new and crucial issue to be carefully evaluated. Current WHO guidance states that \"thoroughly cleaning environmental surfaces with water and detergent and applying commonly used hospital-grade disinfectants (such as sodium hypochlorite) are effective and sufficient\" [5]. Disinfectants are very important in the control and inactivation of microorganisms on various inanimate surfaces [5; 6; 7]. However, they can leave harmful residues on surfaces in contact with food. In addition, many of them lose their antimicrobial activities in the presence of organic matter. Furthermore, their use is not allowed on specific types of packaging materials, and their effect is often nil when chemical sanitation procedures are performed by untrained people, such as consumers. A non-thermal sanitization technique could guarantee a further reduction in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by minimally processed foods, in cases of accidental contamination during the handling of food during the preparation phase and/or of its packaging during distribution and sale. Among the emerging non-thermal sanitization technologies, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) is one of the most promising. Obtainable by applying a sufficiently high electric field in the air, CAP contains numerous reactive species in addition to O\({}_{3}\) (O, OH, NO, and NO\({}_{2}\)) and also UV, all agents with known strong antimicrobial power. There are numerous studies on the use of CAP against viruses of non-food origin (flu and paraninfluenza viruses, adenovirus, corneal herpes simplex virus, etc.) [8; 9; 10] and SARS-CoV-2 RNA [11]. Recently, the plasma effect was also successfully tested against SARS-CoV-2 on some inanimate surfaces such as plastic, metal, cardboard, and different types of leather for sports use [12]. CAP acts according to different mechanisms, causing damage to the capsid structure and viral RNA due to its high oxidizing power.