Abstract: Listeria monocytogenes was the only human foodborne pathogen of Listeria,which was responsible for listeriosis with high mortality rate of 30% to 70%. Early prevention for L. monocytogenes was of the utmost importance to reduce the disease mortality. Therefore,it was required to achieve the detection methods with rapidity,sensitivity and high specificity. Detection sensitivity of existing detection methods for L. monocytogenes was low in food samples without pre-enrichment,limiting these methods directly used for rapid detection of L. monocytogenes. Immunomagnetic separation was a technology which could efficiently enrich target bacteria in the sample within short time. This technology combined with commonly used detection methods could shorten the detection period and improve the detection sensitivity. Recent advance of the application of immunomagnetic separation technology for the detection of foodborne L. monocytogenes was reviewed in this paper.