Bioplastics, which are derived from renewable resources such as starch, straw, or wood chips, are one of the green alternatives to replace petroleum-derived plastics. Starch-based bioplastics do not contain harmful chemicals, thus presumed able to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by conventional plastics. This paper reviews the issues and challenges in the development and utilisation perspectives of the starch-based bioplastics. The production of bioplastics from starch raises competitions in food industries and this issue may become a major concern due to the global food crisis. Starch is broadly exploited as a food ingredient and can be applied as the raw material for bioplastics. Therefore, a sustainable balance is needed to ensure enough supply for both applications. Furthermore, starch poses inherent limitations on the mechanical and barrier properties of the bioplastics. The hydrophilic nature of starch creates problems in meeting with the expectations in terms of tensile strength and water vapour permeability. Bioplastics need to have both antimicrobial and antioxidant properties to prohibit the growth of microorganisms that can affect the shelf life of a product. These challenges require a comprehensive approach to create bioplastics which can function the same as or better than petroleum-derived plastic.