Active and smart packaging for meeting consumer demands for quality and safety.

Over the past few decades, many new packaging techniques have been introduced in the quest for natural preservation of foods and on-time quality monitoring of packaged food to ensure good product quality and safety for the consumer. This paper discusses scientific, technological, commercial and legislative development, as well as consumer aspects and acceptance of the active and smart food packaging techniques with current or potential commercial value, and the elements that both the manufacturers of these packaging systems and the food industry should take into account before launching products using these techniques.