coli_ O157:H7 is a global health concern, resulting in high mortality and morbidity, prolonged infection durations in vulnerable persons and animals, and significant economic losses [23]. In addition, live animals, particularly cattle, harbour foodborne pathogens, such as _E. coli_ strains that can be transmitted to other animals, that can enter the food chain and thus be transmitted to humans. There is a need to develop alternative but effective methods for reducing the quantity of pathogens in live animals [24]. Moreover, strategies to reduce faecal shedding of these organisms by animals is highly recommended [25; 26]. To date, various decontamination strategies, such as the use of chemical sanitizers (sodium dichloroisocyanurate, quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorine, peracetic acid, and lactic acid), heat treatment (pasteurization), washing (water), and chilling, are commonly used during food processing to reduce the risk of pathogens entering the food chain [27; 28]. These strategies have limited, but sometimes direct, microbial benefits on the food product [29]. The rise in antimicrobial resistance, as well as the difficulties associated with antibiotic use for _E. coli_ O157:H7 infections, highlights the critical need for alternative novel approaches. Such approach should not only target _E. coli_ O157:H7 but also the control the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. Bacteriophage-based interventions are being regarded as promising biocontrol agents in the food production systems despite the perceived shortcomings associated with phage-based control measures. Bacteriophages (phages) are bacteria viruses that infect and kill their host (bacteria). They are the most abundant entities in the biosphere, with approximately \(10^{31}\) phage particles, which is ten times more than the number of bacteria species on earth [30]. Based on their life cycle, phages are classified into two major groups, namely, lysogenic and lytic phages. The current review is focused on lytic phages due to their antibacterial properties. The process of phage infection involves phage attachment to the bacteria cell. Upon entry into the host cell (bacteria), lytic phages hijack the genetic material of the host bacteria in order to generate new virions by taking over the bacterial cell replication mechanism [31]. Subsequently, phages employ late proteins, such as lysozyme (lysin and/or endolysin), to lyse (kill) the host (bacteria) cell and thus release the mature virions. Owing to their ability to lyse the bacteria, lytic phages has attracted interest in the pharmaceutical industry. The use of lytic bacteriophages is one innovative strategy that is gradually being embraced as a green technology to combat antimicrobial resistance and the risk of illness in humans [32; 33]. More importantly, the proliferation of bacteriophage-insensitive mutants (BIMs) and save our soul (S.O.S) in response to Shiga toxin production are some of the safety concerns associated with using phages as bio-control agents [34; 35]. Hence, it is crucial to establish the efficacy and biosafety of these promising biocontrol and therapeutic agents. In this review, we describe the advantages of phages as an alternative antibacterial agent and how genomics has enhanced investigations aimed at assessing the safety of phage therapy, but with a direct focus on _E. coli_ O157:H7-specific bacteriophages.