BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With the increasing world population, providing healthy and sustainable food has become a serious challenge. Demanding the use of natural preservatives for combatting food-borne pathogens are increasing more theses days. One of the new solutions is the use of bacteriophages for the targeted elimination of foodborne pathogens without harming the beneficial microflora. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of scientific articles related to the use of phages for controlling foodborne pathogens, up to the year 2025, with a particular focus on recent publications was conducted. Following a thorough screening, the extracted data were analyzed to identify the advantages, limitations, and recent innovations in the use of bacteriophages within the food supply chain. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Bacteriophages serve as effective biological control agents for reducing bacterial contamination in the food industry. Various phages have been applied to target key foodborne pathogens including Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spps.,and Vibrio spps. Also, commercial phage-based products such as Phageguard S and ListShield™ have approved by FDA, demonstrated high efficacy in reducing antibioticresistant bacteria and disrupting biofilms. Effective biocontrol strategies across diverse food matrices and under various conditions, offering a promising, safe and targeted alternatives for controlling foodborne pathogens and enhancing food safety.
