Objective To investigate the zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-Np) migration characteristics in the food contact material, namely polyvinyl chloride (PVC). MethodsIn this study, PVC/ZnO-Np composite with 1% w/w of ZnO-Np was prepared. Single-particle system tandem inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Sp-ICP/MS) was used for the particle size detecting of ZnO-Np during migration. Meanwhile, under the migration conditions of 20 ℃, 40 ℃ and 70 ℃, the total Zn content in food simulants, 3% acetic acid and 95% ethanol, was determined by ICP/MS as a means of analyzing ZnO-Np specific migration, migration rate, nanoparticle size and migration morphology. Results The initial content of ZnO-Np in the composites was 8.43 g/kg. Migration experiments showed a minimum value of (9.27±3.37) mg/kg and a maximum value of (1 947.33±75.02) mg/kg for the specific migration at different time points. The median particle size ranged from 28 nm to 1 156 nm. Migration rates at day 15 ranged from 5.42% to 23.01%. Conclusion The migration of ZnO-Np in PVC is caused by surface migration and material swelling, and aggregation occurs during the migration process. The applicability and safety of PVC/ZnO-Np composites for acidic, fatty, and high-temperature foods should be of ongoing concern.