Pharmaceuticals and foods are essential to human life and health, therefore, ensuring their consistent and safe quality of utmost importance. At present, process analytical technology (PAT) has been widely and increasingly applied in pharmaceutical manufacturing control and Food Safety assessment, to improve the quality of final products. Compared to traditional analytical methods, PAT enhances operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This review comprehensively explores the applications of PAT in oral solid dosage manufacturing, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and in Food Safety. The latest PAT methodologies, categorized into spectral information-based, physical information-based, sensor array-based and microfluidic-based, were described in detail. The principles and objectives of each category are outlined and analyzed with specific case studies. In addition, this review provides a detailed discussion on the emerging trends of PAT development, aligning these advancements with the practical requirements. This review aims to provide insights for related researchers to select analytical techniques and facilitate the widespread adoption and continuous improvement of PAT methods.