Abstract: Fresh fruits and vegetables are preserved by coating them with a waxy protective adhering film formed by spraying the fruits and vegetables with a volatile petroleum solvent solution of a waxy film-forming material and an alkyl aryl sulfonic acid solution of a fungicidal benzimidazole of the formulae ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is methyl, ethyl, isopropyl or sec-butyl;R.sub.2 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms or alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms andR.sub.3 is alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms; ##STR2## wherein R is a five-membered heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen and sulfur andR.sub.1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms or lower alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms and ##STR3## and allowing the solvent to evaporate. Excellent protection against fungi is attained by using benomyl or thiabendazole as the benzimidazole fungicide.

Abstract: Fresh fruits and vegetables are preserved by coating them with a waxy protective adhering film formed by spraying the fruits and vegetables with a volatile petroleum solvent solution of a waxy film-forming material and an alkyl aryl sulfonic acid solution of a fungicidal benzimidazole of the formulae ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is methyl, ethyl, isopropyl or sec-butyl;R.sub.2 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms or alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms andR.sub.3 is alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms; ##STR2## wherein R is a five-membered heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen and sulfur andR.sub.1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms or lower alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms and ##STR3## and allowing the solvent to evaporate. Excellent protection against fungi is attained by using benomyl or thiabendazole as the benzimidazole fungicide.