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Smart packaging provides one possible solution that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In comparison with traditional packaging, which aims to extend the product's useful life and to facilitate transport and marketing, smart packaging allows increased efficiency, for example by ensuring authenticity and traceability from the product's origin, preventing fraud and theft, and improving security. Consequently, it may help to reduce pollution, food losses, and waste associated with the food supply chain. However, some questions must be answered to fully understand the advantages and limitations of its use. What are the most suitable smart packaging technologies for use in agro‐industrial subsectors such as meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, bakery, and pastry? What are the opportunities from a perspective of life extension, process optimization, traceability, product quality, and safety? What are the future challenges? An up‐to‐date, systematic review was conducted of literature relevant to the application of indicator technologies, sensors, and data carriers in smart packaging, to answer these questions. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

This study presents a current status and future trends of innovative and environmentally sustainable technological solutions for the post-harvest food supply chain and the food industry, in terms of ecological packaging, active, and/or intelligent packaging. All these concerns are currently highlighted due to the strong increase in the purchase/sale of products on online platforms, as well as the requirements for stricter food security and safety. Thus, this study aims to increase the global awareness of agro-industrial micro, small, and medium size enterprises for the adoption of innovative food solutions though industry digitalization (Industry 4.0), associated logistics and circular economy, with a concern for cybersecurity and products information, communication and shelf-life extension. The adoption of these guidelines will certainly foster along the complete food chain (from producer to consumer, with all intermediary parties) the awareness on environmentally sustainable technological solutions for the post-harvest food supply chain, and thus, promoting the future food sustainability required by the population increase, the climate change, the exodus of rural population to urban areas, and food loss and waste.