Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a novel and promising alternative to traditional food sanitizers. Due to its various reactive chemical species, low pH, and high oxidation reduction potential, PAW exhibits excellent biological activities, such as sterilizing property, antibiofilm activity, and promoting germination and seedling growth, and so on. As a novel, environmentally friendly and non-thermal processing technology, PAW has gained significant interest in food industrial applications. Recently, the inactivation efficacy of PAW has been demonstrated on a wide range of food products against foodborne pathogens, spoilage microorganisms, and harmful chemicals. The effectiveness of PAW relies on various factors related to the plasma generation mechanisms, the target microorganisms, and the food matrix. The inactivation mechanisms of PAW are attributed to the damage of cell integrity and intracellular components by various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Utilization of plasma-activated liquids and hurdle technologies can enhance the inactivation efficacy and diverse the application of this technology. PAW was widely used in food sterilization and preservation, meat curing, inactivation of bacterial biofilms and so on.