As the food packaging industry continues to remain competitive in an ever expanding global market, it is believed that nanotechnologies show many advantages. An emerging issue of food safety is how to deal with the compliance of all the advanced nanomaterials recently developed for novel packaging applications. The quality control of the packaged food and therefore the guarantee of human health are imperative. Thus, more research is needed to assess whether there is a potential risk of indirect food contamination through nanomaterial migration from food packaging. At present, the following issues should be addressed to fully assess the safety of nanocomposite in food packaging: (i) thorough physicochemical properties of the developed nanoparticles; (ii) methodologies to determine and assess the migration possibility and process of nanoparticles; (iii) consistent and appropriate methodologies for identifying, characterising and quantifying nanomaterials in complicated food matrices; (iv) interrelationships between nanoparticle characteristics and toxicity; (v) data on the toxicokinetic properties of nanoparticles after oral consumption and toxicological dose–response relationships.
The complete knowledge of the extent of food/packaging interactions during their contact time will aid in controlling and limiting migration of nanomaterial. The identification of the factors impacting on migration is expected to enable manufacturers to more accurately improve quality assurance. Not only reduction to zero of migration, but also reliable data on the nanomaterial effects on customer safety after exposure will always have priority and must remain the most important criterion for optimisation of packaging material design and manufacturing.
The migration assessment of nanomaterials does not imply restraining their applications in the food packaging, despite legislation and market uptake are hindered by uncertainties in consumer safety. Addressing and framing the regulations of nanomaterial usage for food packaging are underway through various regional and international agencies. It is believed that if assessed and regulated correctly, these new materials are undoubtedly important for improving the developments of product and process, and warranting the consumers to enjoy hi-tech products safely in the food industry. Rigorous migration assessment is critical to the success of developing science-based regulations that are urgently needed.