Intelligent Food Packaging: A Perception–Response–Communication–Integration Roadmap for Sustainable Sensing and Preservation

Intelligent food packaging is evolving from passive containment and single-function active films toward systems that can perceive, respond to, and communicate changes in food quality across the supply chain. This review adopts a perception–response–communication–integration framework to synthesize recent advances in sustainable packaging matrices, active and light-activated preservation mechanisms, and multimodal sensing platforms, and to map how these domains jointly condition technology readiness and translational feasibility. First, the review discusses bio-based and biodegradable polymers, including starch, cellulose derivatives, carrageenan, chitosan, and protein-rich agro-industrial by-products, reinforced with nanofibrils, clays, metal oxides, coordination complexes, or carbon nanostructures, emphasizing how crystallinity, chain entanglement, and filler geometry govern gas and moisture barriers, mechanical robustness, and compatibility with chromophores or antimicrobial agents. Second, the review analyze active and light-responsive systems that deliver or utilise photodynamic inactivation, highlighting diffusion mechanisms, stimulus-dependent kinetics, and environment-specific performance in realistic food matrices. Third, the review examines colorimetric, fluorescent, hydrogel-based, and electronic sensors for real-time freshness monitoring, focusing on signal stability, selectivity, and noise in complex, high-humidity headspaces. Finally, the review evaluates emerging digital integration using low-power wireless sensing, edge-AI analytics, and blockchain-enabled traceability, and discusses their current Technology Readiness Levels alongside critical gaps in life-cycle assessment, regulation, and consumer acceptance. By linking structure–property relationships, functional responses, and data infrastructures within a unified framework, this review identifies promising material–technology combinations for near-term deployment and outlines a cautious roadmap toward scalable, environmentally aligned intelligent packaging solutions.