Objective The main types and the principle of active and intelligent packaging technology and its application in food industry are introduced in this mini review with its current problems analyzed and its development trend prospected. Results Main problems existed for the time being include, but not limited to, that some active and intelligent packaging technologies have certain safety issues; and that some intelligent packaging technologies impose restrictions on their application because of their requirement on environmental conditions. Conclusion The combination of active and intelligent packaging technology is nowadays a hot spot in packaging research, and also a developmental direction for food packaging in the future.