Nanomaterials have drawn great interest in recent years due to their extraordinary properties that make them advantageous in food packaging applications. Specifically, nanoparticles can impart significant barrier properties, as well as mechanical, optical, catalytic, and antimicrobial properties into packaging. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and nanoclay account for the majority of the nano-enabled food packaging on the market, while others, such as nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium, share less of the current market. In current food packaging, these nanomaterials are primarily used to impart antimicrobial function and to improve barrier properties, thereby extending the shelf life and freshness of packaged food. On the other hand, there is growing concern about the migration of nanomaterials from food contact materials to foodstuffs and its associated potential risks. Indeed, insufficient data about environmental and human safety assessments of migration and exposure of nanomaterials are hindering their market growth. To overcome this barrier, the public believes that legislation from government agencies is critical. This review provides an overview of the characteristics and functions of major nanomaterials that are commonly applied to food packaging, including available and near-future products. Migration research, safety issues, and public concerns are also discussed.

In this study, we present and discuss the technical benefits of using nanoclays as a promising property enhancer in organic polymers for food and beverage packaging. The incorporation of nanoclays can improve the thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of a host polymer. Both natural hydrophilic and modified organophilic nanoclays provide unique characteristics to the host polymer depending on the selected applications. Besides the advantage of polymer reinforcement, various novel applications of nanoclays in food packaging have been suggested recently, such as control and release for active ingredients, antimicrobial agent, and carrier for the colorimetric indicator system. The existing migration studies discussing the transition from plastic to nanoclay packaging revealed that the diffused level of aluminum and silicon in the nanoclay packaging are within the limitation proposed in Council Directive 90/128/EEC (1990). Therefore, until now, there is no safety restriction in the use of clay nanocomposite films in food packaging applications.