The nature of fresh produce is that of a live respiring body, whose freshness is maintained only when its cells are live and active. Packaging technologies are adopted to keep produce fresh should be based on the principle that there is any changes in chemical, physical or biological quality should be suppressed, while the nominal level of metabolic activity in active plant cells should be preserved. The scientific principles of release system are presented in this review. This review also gives overview of the various principles behind commercially released freshness and safety indicators. These include time leak detectors and temperature integrators that simply indicate risk, and sensor labels that offer direct categorization of safety and freshness (including fruit ripeness). It also includes rising and future food packaging technologies and explains the socio-economic driving forces behind their development. It also discusses important deliberations for differentiating and evaluating emerging packaging technologies for improving the safety, quality, and sustainability of the food supply chain.

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