Our sixth newsletter in the series on materials in food and beverage packaging examines the influence of nanomaterials in food packaging. While nanocomposites offer many benefits in the performance of packaging materials, their progress is limited by health concerns and questions regarding safety in using nanoscaled materials in contact with food. We provide an uodate on the latest status of nanocomposites in food packaging in this issue. Another area that continues to garner worldwide attention is sustainable packaging. Biopolymers continue to expand in use and many new developments are taking place in this area. Almost all large food and beverage companies including Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Heinz and PepsiCo are investing heavily in biomaterials for packaging. Active packaging also continues to grow as consumer demand for improved food quality and freshness in packaging increases. This newsletter highlights some of the recent developments in materials for food and beverage packaging.