Fluoroquinolones are a class of potent antibacterial agents which are widely used in the prevention and treatment of animal diseases in the animal husbandry and aquaculture industries. However, with the occurrence of irregular medication, the problem of veterinary drug residues in foods has become increasingly prominent. Therefore, developing fast, convenient and efficient detection methods for fluoroquinolone residues is of great significance to ensure food safety. This article reviews the application of fluorescence analysis in the detection of fluoroquinolone residues in foods, highlighting its excellent detection performance, and it also presents an outlook on fluorescence methods for the analysis of fluoroquinolone residues in foods. We expect that this review will provide a reference for the detection of fluoroquinolone residues in foods.