• Eco-friendly coatings revolutionize food packaging with sustainable materials. • Hybrid systems combine corrosion resistance with antimicrobial properties. • Smart release coatings enhance food safety with responsive functionalities. • Biopolymer coatings offer eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics. • Self-healing coatings extend the lifespan of food packaging materials. • Smart packaging integrates eco-coatings for improved sustainability and efficiency. The pursuit of sustainable and high-performance food packaging has driven increasing interest in multifunctional coating technologies that combine corrosion resistance and antibacterial protection. This critical review systematically examines recent progress in bio-based and biodegradable food packaging coatings from these two complementary functional perspectives. First, coating strategies aimed at corrosion resistance are analyzed, with emphasis on barrier enhancement, moisture and oxygen inhibition, passive and active corrosion-inhibiting mechanisms, and their relevance to metal-based and hybrid packaging substrates. Second, antibacterial coating approaches are reviewed, including the use of natural antimicrobials, essential oils, biopolymers, and nanomaterials, with comparative discussion of contact-active and release-based mechanisms and their effects on microbial suppression and food safety. Representative high-performing systems—such as chitosan- and polylactic-acid-based coatings reinforced with zinc oxide, tannins, or silver-derived additives—are highlighted as benchmark examples, demonstrating simultaneous corrosion inhibition and multi-log reductions in common foodborne pathogens. Fabrication methods such as sol–gel processing, electrospinning, layer-by-layer assembly, and surface functionalization are evaluated in terms of their ability to integrate these two functions within sustainable material systems. Quantitative performance indicators reported in the literature—including corrosion inhibition efficiency, microbial log-reduction, and barrier properties—are compared where available. In addition, challenges related to scalability, regulatory compliance, material safety, and life-cycle impacts are critically discussed. By organizing recent advances around corrosion resistance and antibacterial performance, this review clarifies current limitations, unresolved trade-offs, and future research directions necessary for the development of sustainable, multifunctional food packaging coatings.
M. et al. (2026) studied this question.