Abstract

Food loss and waste pose significant global challenges with profound environmental, economic, and social consequences, driving the need for advanced food preservation and monitoring strategies. Packaging plays a critical role in mitigating food spoilage; however, conventional petroleum-based plastics raise serious environmental concerns due to their persistence and accumulation in ecosystems. In response, biodegradable packaging materials have emerged as sustainable alternatives, though their widespread adoption is hindered by inherent limitations in mechanical strength, barrier performance, and functional versatility. This review critically examines recent advances in biodegradable nanocomposite packaging films that integrate active and intelligent functions for food quality monitoring and waste reduction. Emphasis is placed on biodegradable polymer matrices, nanofillers, nanocomposite design strategies, active packaging mechanisms (antimicrobial and antioxidant), intelligent indicator systems (pH- and gas- responsive), fabrication methods, and performance evaluation. The review highlights how nanocomposite approaches can overcome material limitations while enabling multifunctionality. Key challenges related to stability, safety, scalability, regulatory acceptance, and lack of standardized performance metrics are discussed, along with emerging research gaps. Future perspectives focus on multilayer designs, safe-by-design nanomaterials, digital integration, and the need for quantitative waste-reduction assessment. Overall, biodegradable active and intelligent nanocomposite packaging systems represent a promising pathway toward sustainable food packaging, provided that interdisciplinary efforts bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and real-world implementation.