Foodborne diseases have become a prominent problem in the field of food safety. Rapid and accurate detection of food hazards is a key step in controlling foodborne diseases. As a novel biological recognition molecule, nucleic acid aptamers have become a research hotspot for constructing rapid and sensitive biosensors for the detection of food hazards. However, the affinity and selectivity of aptamers screened by Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) still need improvement to fully meet the requirements of analytical detection. This paper analyzes the intrinsic factors affecting aptamer performance, focuses on optimization strategies for nucleic acid aptamers, introduces their specific applications in the detection of food hazards, and discusses the future development trends of nucleic acid aptamers.