Five types of food antimicrobial packaging and their characteristics were summarized, which were addition of sachets/ pads containing volatile antimicrobial agents into packages, incorporation of volatile and non-volatile antimicrobial agents directly into polymers, coating or adsorbing antimicrobials onto polymer surfaces, immobilization of antimicrobials to polymers by ion or covalent linkages, and inherently antimicrobial polymers. The application and antimicrobial effect of the antimicrobial packaging on fresh meat was introduced. The development trend of food antimicrobial packaging was prospected.