The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system has been widely used in the field of rapid detection for food safety， owing to its advantages of extremely high specificity， programmability and ease of operation. In recent years， the CRISPR/Cas-based biosensors have flourished and become a favored tool in the rapid detection area. In this paper， the mechanism of various Cas proteins， represented by Cas9， Cas12a， Cas13a and Cas14a， were discussed， and their application in the rapid detection of harmful substances in food (e.g.， foodborne pathogenic bacteria， heavy metals， pesticide residues and mycotoxins) was reviewed as well. Furthermore， current challenges and future perspectives of the CRISPR/Cas-based biosensors for food safety are emphasized. This review aims to provide useful information to help future development of novel CRISPR/Cas-based biosensors for food safety.