In recent years， using non degradable plastic as food packaging material has been resulted in serious environmental pollution. Thus， it is urgent to develop and use degradable food packaging materials. Bio-based nanocomposite is a kind of composite material， which is composed of bio-based polymers as matrix and nano materials as dispersed phase. This kind of material exhibits superior flexibility， biocompatibility biodegradability and low cost-effectiveness. This paper mainly introduces the composition， classification， and properties of bio-based nanocomposites， and summarizes the advantages in antimicrobial property of this kind of nanocomposite and its research progress in the field of food.