Coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) are Gram-positive bacteria which exist widely in nature. As the predominant microbial communities in many traditional fermented food， including fermented sausage， ham， cheese and fermented fish， CNS are considered as probiotics and play an effective role to enhance the aroma， texture as well as safety of fermented food. Although many CNS have been widely concerned as a food starter culture in food industry because of their good production characteristics， their potential safety hazards to food quality also aroused concerns from many scholars. This article summarized the positive contribution of CNS as a starter culture to improving the food quality， such as flavor and color. Meanwhile， the studies on their potential hazards during the application in food production were also full discussed. It might provide some reference for the research on CNS starter culture selection and safety evaluation.