Objective: To establish a rapid, sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction(PCR) method for detection of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in foods. Methods: A pair of oligonucleotide primers were designed with hlyA gene as target sequence. Using the designed primers, sixty-three strains of LM isolated from different foods in different areas of chain, 3 strains of Listeria innocua and 20 strains of other bacteria were amplified by the PCR method, and the method was used to detect LM seeded onto fresh meat, frozen shrimp, and cabbage. Results: Amplified fragment showed excellent features of LM. Limit of detection for fresh meat, frozen shrimp and cabbage was 10 cfu/g. Conclusions: A rapid, sensitive and specific PCR method was established for detection of LM in food.