Another Name for Cling Wrap? Every Regional Term for Food Film Explained

If you have ever sent a purchasing inquiry for “cling wrap” and received a quotation for “cling film” — or asked for “Saran Wrap” and been told the factory makes “food wrap” — you are not alone. This product has more regional names than almost any other packaging material, and the confusion costs buyers time and money on every sourcing cycle.

This guide documents every major term used worldwide for the thin, stretchy, food-grade film that covers leftovers, wraps deli products, and protects food in display cases. Whether you are an importer, a distributor, or a foodservice buyer, you will leave this page speaking the same language as your supplier.

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The Core Product: What Are We Talking About?

Before the terminology, a fast product definition: food wrap film is a thin, transparent, stretchable film — typically 8 to 15 microns thick — made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride), LDPE (low-density polyethylene), or PE (polyethylene). It clings to itself and to smooth surfaces, creating a seal over bowls, plates, and wrapped food items. It is produced in rolls, typically 30–45 cm wide for household use and 40–60 cm wide for commercial use.

The three dominant materials are:

Material	Cling Force	Oxygen Barrier	Heat Resistance	Common Markets
PVC	Excellent	Good	Moderate (up to 130°C)	Europe, Asia, Middle East, commercial food service
PVDC	Excellent	Superior	Good (up to 140°C)	Premium retail, Japan, pharmaceutical
LDPE / PE	Moderate	Limited	Limited	US retail (post-2004 Saran Wrap), eco-conscious markets

The same functional product is sold under different names in every market. Here is the complete regional breakdown.

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North America: Plastic Wrap, Cling Wrap, Saran Wrap

In the United States and Canada, the product is most commonly called plastic wrap in everyday speech. “Cling wrap” is also widely used, and is the more precise technical term. Saran Wrap — originally a brand name — has become a genericized trademark used by many Americans to mean any food wrap, similar to how “Kleenex” is used for facial tissue or “Band-Aid” for adhesive bandages.

US common terms:

• Plastic wrap (most common consumer term)
• Cling wrap (technical/commercial)
• Food wrap
• Saran Wrap (genericized brand name)
• Stretch wrap (incorrect — stretch wrap is a different product for pallets)

Canadian terms: Nearly identical to US usage, with “plastic wrap” and “cling wrap” both common. French-Canadian markets use “pellicule alimentaire” or “film étirable”.

The Saran Wrap story: The original Saran Wrap, launched by Dow Chemical in 1953, was made from PVDC — a material with an exceptional oxygen barrier that kept food fresh significantly longer than cellophane. In 2004, S.C. Johnson (which had acquired the brand) reformulated Saran Wrap to LDPE, citing environmental concerns about chlorine content in PVDC. The reformulated product has notably weaker cling and a lower oxygen barrier, which is why commercial and export-grade food wrap is still overwhelmingly PVC — not LDPE — when cling performance is critical.

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United Kingdom and Commonwealth Countries

In the United Kingdom, the standard term is cling film — universally used in supermarkets, catering, and packaging trade publications. You will not find rolls labeled “plastic wrap” or “Saran Wrap” in British shops. The term “food film” occasionally appears in commercial contexts.

UK/Commonwealth regional usage:

Country	Primary Term	Notes
United Kingdom	Cling film	Standard term in all contexts
Australia	Cling wrap / cling film	Both used; “glad wrap” also common (from Glad brand)
New Zealand	Cling wrap / cling film	Similar to Australia
South Africa	Cling wrap / cling film	”Stretch and seal” also used
India	Cling film / cling wrap	Commercial imports often labeled both ways
Singapore / Malaysia	Cling wrap / cling film	Influenced by British terminology

Glad Wrap: In Australia and New Zealand, “Glad Wrap” (from the Glad brand, now owned by Clorox) functions as a genericized term similar to Saran Wrap in the US. Many Australians call any cling wrap “Glad Wrap” regardless of brand.

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Continental Europe: Film Alimentaire, Frischhaltefolie, Pellicola

European countries each have their own native-language term, though the English “cling film” or “food film” is widely understood in B2B trade contexts.

Country/Language	Primary Term	Literal Translation
France	Film alimentaire	Food film
France (alt.)	Film étirable	Stretchable film
Germany	Frischhaltefolie	Freshness-preservation film
Germany (alt.)	Klarsichtfolie	Clear/transparent film
Spain	Film transparente	Transparent film
Spain (alt.)	Film plástico	Plastic film
Italy	Pellicola trasparente	Transparent film
Italy (alt.)	Pellicola per alimenti	Film for food
Portugal	Película aderente	Adhering film
Portugal (alt.)	Filme alimentar	Food film
Netherlands	Vershoudfolie	Freshness-keeping film
Sweden	Plastfolie / Matlådefilm	Plastic film / lunchbox film
Poland	Folia spożywcza	Food film
Russia	Пищевая плёнка	Food film
Russia (alt.)	Стрейч-пленка	Stretch film (note: used for both food wrap and pallet wrap in Russian)

Buyer tip for European sourcing: When specifying film to European distributors, use “food-grade cling film” in English alongside the local-language term. For import documentation, “PVC cling film for food contact” or “PVC film alimentaire” with the EN 1186 food contact compliance number avoids customs classification ambiguity.

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Asia: 保鲜膜, ラップ, 랩

Asian markets are the world’s largest producers and consumers of PVC cling film, and each major market has its own established terminology.

Country/Language	Primary Term	Pronunciation	Notes
China (Mandarin)	保鲜膜	bǎoxiān mó	”Freshness-preservation film” — universal term
Japan	ラップ	rappu	”Wrap” — all brands sold as ラップ; leader brand is Saran Wrap Japan (still PVDC)
South Korea	랩	raep	”Wrap” — similar adoption from English
Taiwan	保鮮膜	bǎoxiān mó	Same as mainland China; also called 食品膜 (shípǐn mó)
Hong Kong	保鮮紙	bǎoxiān zhǐ	”Freshness-preservation paper” — note 紙 (paper), not 膜 (film)
Vietnam	Màng bọc thực phẩm	—	“Food wrap membrane”
Thailand	ฟิล์มห่ออาหาร	—	“Food wrap film”
Indonesia	Plastik wrap / cling wrap	—	Both English terms used directly

Japan’s market note: Japan is unique in retaining PVDC-based cling film as the commercial standard, decades after Western markets shifted to PVC or PE. Japanese consumers and professional kitchens specifically prefer PVDC for its superior oxygen barrier and microwaveable safety. The Saran Wrap brand in Japan (manufactured by Asahi Kasei, not related to S.C. Johnson) is a completely different product from US Saran Wrap — it is still PVDC. This distinction matters when sourcing or importing to the Japanese market.

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Middle East and Africa

Region/Language	Primary Term	Notes
Arab countries	نايلون غذائي (nayilon ghidha’i)	“Food nylon” — nylon used generically for plastic
Arab countries (alt.)	غلاف غذائي (ghilaf ghidha’i)	“Food wrap/cover”
Turkey	Streç film	”Stretch film” — used for both food wrap and pallet wrap
Turkey (alt.)	Mutfak folyosu	”Kitchen foil”
Israel	ניילון מזון (nylon mazon)	“Food nylon”

Africa: English-speaking African markets (South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana) generally use “cling wrap” or “cling film.” French-speaking African markets (Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon) use “film alimentaire.” Portuguese-speaking markets (Angola, Mozambique) use “película aderente” or “filme alimentar.”

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The Brand Names That Became Generic Words

Several brand names have crossed over into generic use in their home markets:

Brand	Owner	Market	Generic usage
Saran Wrap	S.C. Johnson (US)	USA / Canada	Used generically for any food wrap
Glad Wrap	Clorox	Australia / NZ	Used generically for any cling wrap
PVC Film / Sunwrap	—	B2B export trade	Technical/commercial descriptor
Clingfilm	—	UK	Sometimes written as one word, brand-neutral

Manufacturers and distributors exporting globally should be aware of these regional brand sensitivities. Describing your product as “similar to Saran Wrap” is understood positively in the US market but may create the expectation of LDPE (weak cling) rather than PVC (strong cling). Specifying “PVC cling film” or “commercial-grade food wrap” avoids this ambiguity.

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Quick-Reference Table: All Names for Food Wrap

Term	Region	Material Implication
Plastic wrap	USA, Canada	Usually LDPE at retail; PVC commercial
Cling wrap	USA, Canada, Australia, NZ	PVC or LDPE
Saran Wrap	USA, Canada (generic)	Originally PVDC; now LDPE retail; PVC commercial
Glad Wrap	Australia, NZ (generic)	Usually LDPE retail
Cling film	UK, Commonwealth, B2B global	PVC commercial; LDPE retail
Food wrap	UK, global B2B	PVC commercial
Film alimentaire	France, French-speaking	PVC or PE
Film étirable	France	PVC or PE; “stretchable film”
Frischhaltefolie	Germany	PVC or PE
Pellicola trasparente	Italy	PVC or PE
Film transparente	Spain	PVC
Película aderente	Portugal	PVC
保鲜膜 (bǎoxiān mó)	China, Taiwan	PVC (dominant), also PE
ラップ (rappu)	Japan	PVDC (dominant in Japan)
랩 (raep)	South Korea	PE or PVC
نايلون غذائي	Arab countries	PVC

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Why This Matters for Buyers and Importers

When you send an inquiry to a Chinese cling film manufacturer asking for “Saran Wrap” or “plastic wrap,” you will receive quotations for PVC film — not LDPE. This is correct for most commercial applications. Chinese factories export overwhelmingly PVC cling film because its cling force, clarity, and cost-per-meter metrics are superior for foodservice, butcher, deli, bakery, and catering uses.

If you specifically need LDPE or PVDC, state the material explicitly in your inquiry. Do not rely on the brand-name shorthand to convey the material specification.

Standard specification language for export inquiries:

“PVC cling film, food-contact grade, [width] cm × [length] m per roll, [thickness] micron, compliant with [EU/FDA/GB/other standard], MOQ [quantity]”

This language will be understood by every cling film manufacturer in China, Europe, and Southeast Asia regardless of what your local market calls the product.

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Sunwrap: Commercial PVC Cling Film for Global Markets

Sunwrap manufactures PVC cling film rolls for foodservice distributors, supermarket chains, catering suppliers, and OEM rebranding programs across more than 30 countries. Our film is produced under GB/T and EU EN 1186 food-contact standards and is available in both standard retail roll sizes and commercial bulk configurations.

Whether you call it cling film, plastic wrap, cling wrap, film alimentaire, or 保鲜膜, we ship to your market with the documentation your customs and food safety authorities require.

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