Abstract: Flow cytometry is considered as a modern analytical method that can be used to detect multiple physical characteristics of particles suspend in liquid phase.Due to these advantages of rapid and high sensitivity, flow cytometry has been gradually used for the detection of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms.In this article, the principle and procedure for flow cytometry were introduced, and two major application platform including flow cytometer and Luminex system were discussed.Recent researches for application of flow cytometry for detection of foodborne pathogen were investigated and reviewed, analysis methods based on foodborne pathogen whole cells and nucleic acid were discussed, and future application of flow cytometry for detection of foodborne pathogen was prospected.