Abstract: In order to review and analyze the development and changes of food safety regulatory in Shanghai in the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, and to provide experience and data as reference for various departments, this paper expounds the five stages of Shanghai food safety regulatory system, and summarizes the development and changes of the mechanism of food safety regulatory, ranging from the prevention of food poison to the prevention and control of food safety incidents and so on.The main policy strategies and achievements of food safety problems in different periods are analyzed.In view of the main problems and challenges facing Shanghai food safety regulatory at present, new ideas and prospects are put forward that food safety regulatory need to focus more on risk management, whole process control, social co-governance, system plus science and technology, law and credit double restrictions.