The modified atmosphere packaging(MAP) was summarized with the revelation of the principle and application of indicators by reviewing the electrochemical, optical, colorimetric method, pressure activated oxygen indicators/sensors and the development and application of optical and electrochemical CO2 indicator/sensor in modified atmosphere packaging(MAP). The potential problems of each indicator in the application process were pointed out as: the possible transfer of organic or inorganic compounds of indicators to the food resulting in food pollution, indicators in the testing process to be affected by the environment and causing misjudgment to a certain extent, and the production cost being high, etc. Indicators of natural, safe materials will be vastly used in future research and development such as label printing in the form of water-based ink with the establishment of an effective system of toxicology evaluation and dynamic model to reduce costs. Meanwhile, the indicators could be combined with other intelligent packaging technology to achieve the function of monitoring the environment inside and outside the packaging. Moreover, the indicator label could also be combined with internet technology to transmit the real-time property of the product through the network to realize the real-time monitoring of product quality.