Nanotechnology is one of the most important technologies in the twenty-first century. Among various nanomaterials, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted great interest in recent years owing to their inherent low toxicity, high solubility in numerous solvents, high electrical conductivity, chemical and mechanical properties, quantum size, large active area, abundant functional groups and edge sites for functionalization, intrinsic catalytic activities, and excellent biocompatibility, etc. Due to facile synthesis, aqueous solubility, and their quantum yield, they are superior to the other carbon nanoparticles with the mesmerizing property of fluorescence. The advantages of CQDs as luminescent probes, such as tunable emission wavelength, high emission intensity, biocompatibility, and general excitation source, made them excellent candidates as luminescent probes in various applications. The carbon quantum dots offer numerous advantages for advanced or innovative food packaging applications, including enhanced mechanical properties, water barrier, thermal activity, barrier properties, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. CQDs can be synthesized with different compositions and characteristics depending on the primary sources and processing conditions. They have a high potential for usage as active material, nanolevel food additives, coating agents, and intelligent agents to improve the shelf-life of food products. This chapter describes the synthesis of CQDs derived from various plant and animal origin precursors, their characteristics focusing food preservation and packaging applications.