Food safety is increasingly becoming an important public health issue, as foodborne diseasespresent a widespread and growing public health problem in both developed and developingcountries. The rapid and precise monitoring and detection of foodborne pathogens are some ofthe most effective ways to control and prevent human foodborne infections. Traditionalmicrobiological detection and identification methods for foodborne pathogens are well knownto be time consuming and laborious as they are increasingly being perceived as insufficient tomeet the demands of rapid food testing. Recently, various kinds of rapid detection,identification, and monitoring methods have been developed for foodborne pathogens,including nucleic-acid-based methods, immunological methods, and biosensor-basedmethods, etc. This article reviews the principles, characteristics, and applications of recentrapid detection methods for foodborne pathogens.