Food safety and quality are of importance in daily life. Colorimetric sensors can be used to rapidly and sensitively detect food safety and quality parameters. In this review, we summarize the recent developments and applications of colorimetric sensors in the field of food safety and quality determination. The principles, and advantage and disadvantage of machine vision are firstly discussed. Then, food application including food quality, food classification, and food poisoning related progress have been reviewed. In addition, the current challenges and future perspectives in the field of machine vision-based colorimetric sensor (MVBCS) for food safety and quality determination have also been highlighted. With the application of MVBCS in daily life, it is expected that food safety and quality can be improved in the near future.