Aptamers are DNA or RNA molecules that can bind to their target molecules with high affinity and specificity， and because aptamers are stable， simply synthesized and chemically modified， aptamers have become useful tools for analytical， diagnostic and therapeutic applications. This article reviews the application examples of aptamers on the detection of foodborne pathogens， biotoxins， heavy metal ions， drug residues， illegal additives and other harmful factors in food， and provides the application prospects of aptamers on food safety detection.