A bio-based fibrous film intended to be used as a food-packaging component was electrospun from blend solutions of cellulose acetate (CA) in neat acetic acid and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in 90% ethanol. The CA/PEO blend ratios were varied to determine the effects of PEO on the morphology, moisture-adsorption and tensile properties of the blended fibrous films. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) incorporated (2-20 wt% of PEO) into the blended fibers were tested for their effect on tensile and thermal properties of the nanocomposite films. The results indicated that the addition of PEO at 9 wt% improved tensile strength, elongation and elasticity (P<0.05) of the CA-based fibrous films. The energy-dispersive spectrometer-scanning electron microscopy results suggested that zinc elements were well dispersed in the CA-PEO-blend fiber matrix. The addition of ZnO NPs at 20 wt% of PEO led to a significant improvement in the elongation and tensile strength of the CA-PEO-blend fibrous film (P<0.05). This improvement was attributed to the association between ZnO NPs and the semi-crystalline structures of the PEO, as evidenced by differential scanning calorimetry thermograms and X-ray diffraction spectra. Polymer Journal (2011) 43, 978-986; doi:10.1038/pj.2011.97; published online 28 September 2011