Introduction: This special issue of Applied Food Biotechnology is dedicated to two major threats of our today´ s world: First, humankind needs secure access to food, which indispensably demands the preservation of food and feed resources instead of converting them towards energy carriers, polymers, or other materials. Second, the current global plastic situation is increasingly aggravating considering the growing piles of plastic waste stemming from exploitation of fossil resources, the tremendous effects of global warming, which is also caused by incineration of crude oil-derived materials like plastic waste, and the dramatic pollution of marine and other aquatic environments especially by microplastics...