A late detection of pathogenic microorganisms in food and drinking water has a high potential to cause adverse health impacts in those who have ingested the pathogens. For this reason there is intense interest in developing precise, rapid and sensitive assays that can detect multiple foodborne pathogens. Such assays would be valuable components in the campaign to minimize foodborne illness. Here, we discuss the emerging types of assays based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for rapidly diagnosing single or multiple foodborne pathogen infections. Colorimetric and lateral flow assays based on GNPs may be read by the human eye. Refractometric sensors based on a shift in the position of a plasmon resonance absorption peak can be read by the new generation of inexpensive optical spectrometers. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and the quartz microbalance require slightly more sophisticated equipment but can be very sensitive. A wide range of electrochemical techniques are also under development. Given the range of options provided by GNPs, we confidently expect that some, or all, of these technologies will eventually enter routine use for detecting pathogens in food. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing.