Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and its derivatives (SO32- and HSO3-) are ubiquitous in the environment and our daily life, closely related to human life activities. As an important additive, SO₂ serves functions including bleaching, sterilization, anti-corrosion, color protection, antioxidant, and others during the processing and storage of food and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, SO₂ can regulate the antioxidant enzyme system in human cells, increasing resistance against oxidative stress damage. However, excessive SO₂ in the human body can strongly stimulate the digestive tract, causing nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, and may trigger allergic reactions including asthma and headaches. Furthermore, long-term intake can damage digestive and respiratory health. Therefore, developing rapid detection technology for the timely monitoring of SO₂ content in food, pharmaceuticals, and living organisms is one of the means to ensure food safety and physical health. This paper summarizes the construction and recognition detection mechanism of SO₂ probes based on fluorescence technology, and introduces the rapid detection application progress of SO₂ in food, pharmaceuticals, and biological systems, and summarizes the advantages and limitations of the current probes.