Technical Abstract: The consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables has increased steadily over the past two decades. Consumers as well as governmental agencies are concerned due to the increase in number of outbreaks associated with fresh produce. Microorganisms such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes are implicated in these outbreaks. The traditional methods for detecting these pathogens from food require up to 7 days completing the entire procedure. More recently, a number of rapid alternative methods have been developed, including immunological and molecular (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) methods. The rapid methods are becoming valuable tools in the investigation of outbreaks associated with foods that provide results in short time. Some of the commercially available methods for the rapid detection of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in water, fruits and fresh vegetables and in environmental applications are examined in this document.