Bacillus cereus and other Bacillus spp. are common contaminants in foods and have been reported as frequent causes of foodborne poisonings. Because of spore formation, they can resist physical and chemical stress, while non-spore-forming microorganisms will be eliminated. They are also able to grow in a wide range of food environments (with varied nutrient sources, incubation temperature, or pH). Application of selective media efficiently allows efficient B. cereus detection in foods. Further characterization can be obtained with several tools: assay of toxin production and detection of toxin genes by molecular methods, together with other phenotypic characterization. These tests allow us to estimate the virulence profiles of B. cereus strains and the risk of foodborne poisoning due to B. cereus contamination.