Active packaging, unlike traditional packaging which is required to be totally inert, is designed to interact actively and continuously with its content, with the purpose of extending the shelf-life or maintaining or improving the status of packaged foods. Active packaging includes systems that absorb/eliminate or regulate compounds unfavourably affecting the commercial life of a foodstuff, such as oxygen, ethylene and humidity or those that might cause unpleasant odours or flavours in food.

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... er systems release chemicals such as preservatives, anti-oxidants, colouring agents, aromas, etc. Smart packaging can even monitor the conditions of packaged food in order to provide feedback about its quality during transport and storage. Smart packaging includes systems that provide easy-to-read information using visual indicators on food parameters of interest, such as whether the food chain has been broken, by providing information on the history of the temperature the product has been exposed to and the duration of that exposure, undesirable alterations in the air inside vacuum-packed products or those in a protective atmosphere or chemical and microbiological alterations in the food's quality. At european level, their use is basically regulated by EC Regulations 1935/2004 and 450/2009.