The invention relates to a method for detecting ractopamine content in food. The method is characterized by comprising the following steps: preparing a capture probe; preparing a signal probe, treating a sample to be detected, and detecting by using a glucometer. Compared with the prior art, the method has the advantages that the signal is converted into a glucose signal which can be detected by the glucometer through an enzymatic effect, field detection of a nonsugar glucometer is realized, the stability is high, the detection limit is low, the detection range is wide. Moreover, the detection cost is low, the detection program is simple, the detection effect is good, particularly general staff can perform field detection, and the strict requirement that the professional staff need to operate in a lab in the prior art is avoided.