The article is devoted to the study of the main types of retort packaging, as well as polymer and combined materials used for its manufacture. The authors have compiled a classification of retort packaging presented on the modern market, investigated the technological properties of packaging materials, and also determined the requirements for modern retort packaging: resistance to sterilization at a temperature of at least 120°C, steam and moisture resistance, chemical inertia to canned products, tightness, low gas permeability. It has been established that in order to give the retort packaging the required properties, it is made of multilayer polymer or combined materials, each of the layers of which performs certain functions. It is determined that due to the barrier properties of polymer and combined materials with respect to oxygen, retort packaging provides shelf life of canned products up to 5 years, which allows the use of retort packaging made of polymer and combined materials as an alternative to glass and metal packaging. In experimental studies, the composition of the outer layers of modern retort packaging was analyzed and it was concluded that polypropylene or polyethylene terephthalate are most often used, since these polymer materials are thermally and chemically resistant, vapor- and moisture-proof. It is established that materials that are barriers to gases are used as the middle layer – aluminum foil, metallized films, ethylene vinyl alcohol, polyamide. It is proved that polymer co-extrusion, multilayer injection molding or lamination is used for the manufacture of such materials and packaging. The data obtained indicate the high barrier properties of combined packaging materials, therefore, the thermal and chemical stability of the polymer and combined materials used makes it possible to use retort packaging for packing almost all groups of canned products.