In the present review, we summarized the research progress in applying SERS for the determination of illegal food additives, residual pesticides, banned or restricted antibiotics and other drugs. The nanosubstrates used in these studies included, but were not limited to, gold and silver nanosphere colloids, solid surface gold coated nanosubstrates, bimetallic nanosubstrates and spherical magnetic-core gold-shell nanoparticles, and etc. Standard solutions of a targeted chemical were normally tested first before analysis of relevant food in which the targeted chemical was commonly detected, and the tested food products included dairy products, condiments (such as chili powder and spices), fish, fruits and vegetables. The intensity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering signal is affected by various factors, which makes it difficult to obtain reproducible spectra. In addition, interferences of non-targeted food components on the target molecules during SERS analyses further makes it difficult to apply SERS as a routine analytic technique, despite its high specificity and sensitivity. Nevertheless, SERS is a new tool with great potential for analysis of trace amounts of chemical hazards in various food products and other complex systems.