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The purpose of this paper is to review the new trends in plastic additives, with special focus on developments in food packaging materials.

Phenomenological research has brought awareness and increased insight into the role of various plastic additives on the packaging of foods. The approach is based on the current trends and the industrial protocols for the additives used in plastic polymer processing for the development of food packaging materials.

Packaging of foodstuffs is a dynamic process which continually responds to the changes in supply and demand which are the result of adaptations to the varying demands of the consumer, changes in retail practices, technological innovations, new materials and developments in legislation, especially, with respect to environmental concerns. A wide range of additives is available for enhancing the performance and appearance of food packaging, as well as improving the processing of the compound. Polymer additives are important areas of innovation for packaging materials.

The paper reviews and summarizes the recent developments in the functionality of different additives, along with their advantages and disadvantages, currently being used to enhance the properties of food packaging materials that can positively influence the environment within the packaging for the increased demand for raw or processed foods.

The purpose of this paper is to review the recent trends in the development of active packaging (AP) for foods.

The most up‐to‐date and pertinent studies within the literature have been included and summated in this paper.

Fresh foods are widely consumed and are becoming a major component of the international food market. During the last decades, the social and scientific modernization, the boom in customer's needs and demands, along with the major changes in the way food products are manufactured, distributed and retailed, led to the development of alternative or novel methods for the production and preservation of food products. This review will present the most comprehensive and current overview of the widely available, scattered information about the different AP technologies for the control of various critical parameters responsible for the quality and shelf life of fresh foods with an interest to stimulate further research to optimize different quality parameters.

This paper offers a holistic view that would guide a reader to identify the recent developments in the field of AP.

The purpose of this study was to provide contemporary scientific knowledge on the functionality of edible lipids, sources, health benefits, and a special emphasis on different encapsulation strategies to enhance their dietary application and boost the market value.

Novel technologies overcoming these issues are in great demand. Given that, several novel encapsulation techniques have been established aiming at most of the aspects of functional lipids. In addition, these techniques have been designed to enhance the storage stability and controlled release of lipids in food systems.

Plant and marine oils are one of the richest sources of functional lipids but are attached with limitations. Currently, alternative sources, such as different types of algae and microorganisms are gaining attention in terms of sustainable production systems. Advances in various encapsulation techniques have helped to overcome the dispersibility and stability problems of lipids encapsulation. Refinement in physicochemical interaction, colloidal dispersion and core-shell modules between wall and core matrix protect dietary lipids during processing have been implemented. Liposomes, micro/nanoemulsions and micro/nanocapsules are found most suitable for food application by improving the fatty acid profile, stability and sensorial properties.

Functional lipids offer numerous health benefits (i.e., simple health-promoting properties to complex disease preventive and curative effects). However, these functional lipids are associated with several disadvantages, such as region-specific availability, vulnerability to oxidation depending on the level of unsaturation, degradation/hydrolysis on processing, low bioavailability, confined storage stability, and others.

The unforeseen disruption in workplaces triggered by COVID-19 has led many organizations to a sudden transition into virtual or remote working. The change posed various challenges to the project management community in managing their project and team members. The study intends to identify those challenges address the gap in current knowledge and literature and apply them as lessons learned for preparation for current and future remote work settings.

This is a qualitative research case study armed with semi-structured interview questions among nine experienced project managers based in Malaysia.

The qualitative research case study exposed the challenges faced by the project management community during the pandemic lockdown period and how they strived to deliver results despite the surrounding uncertainty. They did face motivation drops, excess workload and other stressors. The study revealed positive variables that was not detected by past literature, for instance how remote work reduces team conflict.

In Malaysia, most of such project management and pandemic-related studies focus on the construction industry. This study opens up research across multiple industries. There are not many articles that take the lessons learned from COVID-19 into future sustainability.